Anne-Marie Springer

I started to collect at the birth of my daughter in 1994. My intention was to assemble for her a sort of treasure chest containing things that she would not be necessarily able to encounter during her life.  

It was already obvious to me then that the hand written letter was slowly disappearing and that this tendency would only progress with the emergence of new technological tools. At that same time, I saw in an auction catalogue a beautiful and passionate handwritten letter from Napoleon to his wife Josephine. I was very surprised, as I had thought that one could only encounter these sort of documents in public libraries or institutions.  

My mind was made up: I was going to collect love letters!  

In the last thirty years, my collection evolved and now encompasses everything that has to do with feelings, emotions and intimacy.  

It englobes all languages—although French being my mother tongue,  the majority  of my letters are in French—and spans from the 15th century to modern times. The authors include historical figures, artists, writers, musicians, poets, and more.