Passionate love letters written by the poet John Keats to his fiancée, Fanny Brawne, are set to be displayed in London before heading to auction in the United States, following their dramatic recovery after being stolen four decades ago.
Exhibition and Auction Details
Eight letters signed by Keats to Fanny Brawne will be displayed at Sotheby’s New Bond Street in London from May 11-15 before they are sold at Sotheby’s New York in June, the auction house said. They are expected to fetch between $1.5 million and $2.5 million (£1.11 million to £1.85 million).
History of the Letters
These messages, part of a larger collection of approximately 37 letters written by Keats to Brawne between 1819 and 1820, resurfaced this year in New York. They had been missing for nearly 40 years after their theft, only to be recovered recently.
The correspondence offers an intimate glimpse into their intense relationship. In the earliest known letter from July 1819, Keats declares, "the morning is the only proper time for me to write to a beautiful girl whom I love so much." He also pleads for reassurance, asking Brawne to console him with words "rich as a draught of poppies." Other excerpts reveal his profound affection: "My dear girl I love you ever and ever and without reserve," alongside reflections on the "pains and torments" of separation and the "ecstasies" of their happiest moments.
Their romance, which began in 1818, was largely conducted through these letters until Keats's untimely death from tuberculosis in 1821 at the age of 25.
Provenance and Recovery
The letters were originally kept by Brawne until her death in 1865, then passed to her children before being sold at Sotheby’s in 1885. They were later acquired by American poet Helen Hay Whitney and remained with her family until the theft in the 1980s.
After resurfacing when brought to a Manhattan rare book dealer, the letters were returned to the Whitney estate on April 20 this year, in coordination with the New York District Attorney’s office, Sotheby’s confirmed.
This upcoming exhibition marks the first time these historic letters have been displayed in London in 140 years. Keats's celebrated works include 'Bright Star', 'Ode To A Nightingale', and 'Ode On A Grecian Urn', and his love story with Brawne inspired the 2009 film Bright Star.
