Sandalstrand 2/3 15

            Kjære frù Höst!

Det blev længe nù, förend jeg besvarede

Deres brev, – det har været en kjedelig

tid med sygdom paa alle i hùset. Engels

lùnger er daarlige, og börnene har sterk

forkjöling; – en ondartet forkjöling – som 

har hjemsögt hele bygden ja endog 

nabobygdene – flere folk er döde af den; –

det maa vel være en slags inflùenza.

Bronkit kalder stedets sykepleierske

det. Jeg har ogsaa været hjemsögt af 

det, men værst for mig har dog disse

stadige kvælningsanfald været – naar

jeg stadig bruger store portioner af

jodkaliùm, kan jeg nok holde dem i

age, men saa tager jodkaliùm saa

paa hjærtet ved stadig brùg. Jeg har for-

sögt at være flittig, men det blir 

saa lidet med en – naar man ikke er frisk.

Jeg skulde jo först og fremst

besvare flere ting i Deres sidste

brev – De spörger om, hvorledes jeg

er fornöiet med priserne o.s.v. – jeg 

kan da kun sige Dem tak og atter

tùsend tak for alt De har gjort

for mig. De udförte jo alle salg

meget bedre, end jeg selv kunne klaret 

det – jeg ^vilde være fornöiet, om jeg havde

faaet meget mindre priser ogsaa.

Jeg var fornöiet selv med de smaa

priser, jeg fik gjennem frk. Kamstrùp,

men det var jo kjedeligt, at det skulde

vise sig ùheldigt for andre salg – (efter 

hvad De fortalte om mùseet i throndhjem)

Ja det var jo vel billigt, og saa gik der 

desuden ifra 15% til kunstnerforbundet, 

jeg fik 76 kr. for 5 tryk; – men som sagt 

jeg var fornöiet over at faa noget i disse

daarlige tider, – som jeg ogsaa svarede frk.

Kamstrup, da hun skrev til mig og gjorde

en ùndskyldning for, at hùn havde

solgt saa billigt, – hùn gjorde det

i beste hensigt, da hùn troede jeg træng-

te haardt til penge, hvad jeg og gjorde, hùn

tænkte naturligvis ikke, at det kunde

drage slige fölger efter sig, at andre 

skulde komme og kræve tryk billig

senere ogsaa. Nù ja jeg fik jo i alt

lidt over 1000 kr. bare for træsnit –

    ^{ja alt med undtagelse af de 76 kr..} 

det meste var jo gjennem Dem – det

er sandt, som De sa, – der kan blive

penge af træsnit ogsaa. – Men penge-

me ne gik i gjæld omtrent alt, og jeg 

er endnù meget skyldig – paa en maaned

har jeg nù ikke havt en öre – min

ven skolelæreren har laant mig flere

gange til medicin til Engel og det aller-

vigtigste ellers ogsaa.

Nù sender jeg træsnittene, som Halvorsen

skal ha for de 500 kr. – Vil De være saa

snild at ordne dette for mig og vise ham

træsnittene; Jeg haaber han maa blive 

fornöiet – jeg har virkelig gjort mig

ùmage med at trykke pent – skulde

han allikevel ikke være helt fornöiet,

saa kanske han alligevel kùnde sende

mig noget af beløbet "til öieblikkelig

ùndsætning", som De engang sa, da De send-

te mig et forskùd på træsnit.

Mellem os sagt, tror jeg nok Kaland helst

havde seet, at jeg havde sendt ham disse

træsnit til Halvorsen; men jeg tror ikke han

er saa flink forretningsmand, som De er, – 

dog sender jeg ham 3 tryk til Halvorsen,

for at han ikke skal blive altfor fornær-

met paa mig og "for at faa höre hans me-

ning om disse 3 tryk". Disse 3 er: "Jùni-

nat og stort fjeld", "Vaarmaane" og "Kornstaur i 

maaneskin". Disse 3 mangler derfor iblandt

de tryk, jeg nù sender Dem. Det var kjedeligt

at De skulde maatte overlade til Thesen 

det blaa tryk af "Martzstemning", naar De likte

bedst at have det som kontrast til det andet;

II

thi de to, som De nù har er jo mere i slegt

med det blaa, og det grönlige, – desuden var 

jo Ingers tryk (jubilæùmstrykket) nær-

mest et prövetryk, förend pladerne endnù var

helt færdige, og enkelte kviste var for klùmp-

ne. Jeg har derfor nù tænkt at foreslaa 

Dem noget, (som jeg haaber De ikke maa

misforstaa mig i). Jeg sender som De ser en

ny blaa tryk – synes De om den – kan

De jo bytte den med jùbilæùmstrykken, – jeg

vil da skrive til Kaland og sige, at jeg tror

der er en mùlighed for at frk. Höst vil være 

villig til at bytte jùbilæùms-trykken sin

med en af de to "martz-stemninger" jeg nù

sender ind, og at jeg har bedt Dem om 

dette som en velvilje, (hvilket det jo ogsaa

er samtidig med at De kan faa en bedre tryk).

Paa denne maade faar jeg ogsaa en grùnd

at anföre for Kaland, hvorfor jeg sender 

en del af trykkene til Dem. Kaland

siger nemlig i det brev, hvori han frem-

kommer med bestillingen fra Halvorsen,

at disse tryk til Halvorsen maa være

det bedste, jeg kan præstere af tryk, og 

naar Halvorsen nù faar vide, at han

faar Jubilæùmstrykken, saa tror jeg

han vil være mere fornöiet, end om

han virkelig fik en bedre tryk.

Af "Fossen" har jeg desværre ikke noget

helt godt tryk – ja jeg har overhovedet

ikke noget tryk mere af den – jeg 

sender det eneste jeg har – jeg maa vist 

have brændt op pladerne – da de ikke er

at finde.

Jeg var bange for at jeg ikke skulde ha

nok farvetryk for 500 kr.; men nù har

jeg som De ser skaaret et nyt træsnit

af "Juninat og Soleier", – de to tryk, som 

jeg sender nù, er bare prövetryk; – men 

da jeg neppe kommer til at trykke flere

slags stemninger af dette end disse to slags,

saa vilde jeg spörge Dem hvilke af disse

to, De likte bedst – saa vil jeg trykke et 

bedre tryk til Dem af den stemning, De 

foretrak. Det graa tryk – altsaa det med

graa lùft (af Soleier og juninat) tilhörer

Korsvold, som var her og saa det, da

jeg trykte disse 2 pröverne, – han likte

bedst det graa og kjöbte det og "vaar-

maane" af mig, – jeg havde en forfal-

den asùrancepolice paa 80 Kr. som 

han indfriede for mig, og saa har han

skaffet mig en del varer. Turde jeg

bede Dem være saa venlig, hvis Hal-

vorsens tryk skal til rammemageren, 

da at sende de to tryk med – og lade

Dem indramme til Korsvold for min

regning. De maa da maaske ikke

lade Halvorsen se det graa tryk; thi da

kunde han være istand til at forlange

at faa dette istendenfor det blaa.

Jeg haaber som sagt, at kunne trykke Dem

et bedre tryk af dette nye træsnit – det

er lidt sent at trykke, – saa jeg faar ikke 

det færdig nù i en fart, ellers skulde jeg jo

havt et par tryk at sende Dem til ùdvalg.

Jeg vil da imidlertid være taknemlig for at

faa höre Deres dom om dette træsnit – 

jeg er ikke selv fornöiet med det, men

saa er jo dette bare to prövetryk, – jeg 

maatte lægge disse pladerne tilside for

at skynde paa arbeidet med de övrige

tryk, – noget bedre haaber jeg altsaa dette

nye træsnit skal blive. Saa har jeg

som De ser forsögt en "pige-byste" i farve-

træsnit, men det vil ikke rigtig gaa, – 

det blir som med alle hoveder i træsnit:

"et nyt menneske for hvert tryk" – nù

ja jeg har jo ogsaa lagt an paa det en 

del, og jeg har jo ogsaa skaaret lidt paa

plader mellem hver af disse höist 

forskjellige tryk. Bryder De og Inger 

Eder om disse tryk, saa behold dem – det

kunde være morsomt at höre, hvad for 

en pige De likte bedst, – det er jo nær-

mest et experiment, – noget som folk 

flest vilde betakke sig for at have paa 

sine vægge.

Saa nævnte De, at De likte bedst den lyse

III

tryk af "Job" – jeg sender derfor 2 lyse

tryk af ham, som De da kan bytte med

de, som De för har eller beholde begge dele

om De vil. Da de ifjor skrev, at De likte

særlig det ene (af de to förste tryk) uden at

De nævnte hvilket – saa antog jeg, at det

var det mörke, De mente, – og jeg trykte

derfor bare mörke tryk nù i höst – jeg

likte nemlig selv de mörke bedst fra först 

af; saa sender jeg Dem et prövetryk af

samme træsnit ("Job") förend pladerne var

færdige – om De vil ha det som en kuri-

ositet – da det ikke kan trykkes op igjen.

Det nye tryk af Martzstemning i graaveir ^blaat, 

tænkte jeg ^at om Halvorsen ikke skùlde 

like jubilæumstrykken, – kùnde han faa

det, – og hvis han heller ikke skùlde like

dette, saa faar han vel faa det blaa, saa

skal skal jeg trykke et nyt til Inger.

De spörger, om det er saa, at de to træsnit:

"Regnbùe" og "Martzstemning" er lidt udenfor 

rammen af min kunst, – hvad Regnbùe

angaar er det kanske saa, – det var jo 

ogsaa mislykket som træsnit. Martzstemning

derimod, synes jeg nok er mit eget, – orgi-

nalen var jo malet for snart 10 aar siden

(altsaa maleriet, som advokat Knùdsen har).

Angaaende Halvorsen, saa bör han jo faa

billigt kjöb, da han er en gammel kunde

af mig, – og da han uheldigvis har faaet et

daarlig billede af mig engang, (det var dog

ikke min skyld at en skisse som jeg havde 

givet bort – havnede hos ham). Jeg har 

derfor sat op de reelle priser – (minimùmspri

serne) saaledes :

Vaarmaane ………………… 40,00

Fossen ……………………….. 30,00

Soria Moria ……………….. 30,00

        Juninat og Soleie ……… 120,00

        Martzstemning …………. 120,00

        Juninat og stort fjeld … 80,00

        Akt …………………………….... 80,00

Da jeg kom tilkort med farvetryk

som för nævnt (og Halvorsen – vil ikke ha

sort og hvidt) – saa lavede jeg en plade

mere til akten og trykte den i farver, – 

hvis Halvorsen ikke skulde like den, 

kùnde han jo faa den "Regnbùen" (som

De har liggende) isteden, – dog skal De

beholde den Regnbùe som De liker

bedst (jubilæùms-regnbùen er daarligst)

Den liste jeg satte op her var altså mini-

mumspriserne, – der kunde da sættes op en 

liste med maximumspriser, – og saa kùnde

han som gammel kùnde faa procenter saa

meget, at det gik ned til minimùmspriser-

ne og saaledes kom ned til det af ham 

opsatte belöb 500 kr. Jeg skal foreslaa en

liste over maximùmspriser saaledes:

Vaarmaane …………………....... 55,00

Fossen……………………….......... 50,00

Soria Moria …………………....... 40,00

Juninat og Soleier ………….. 140,00

Martzstemning …………….... 120,00

Juninat og stort fjeld ……….100,00

Akt (eller "Regnbùe") ........ 100,00

                                                       605,00

                                       – 16% = 500,00

Skùlle han ville ha baade akten og 

Regnbùen, kan ha da faa Regnbùen for

50 kr. extra. Ja jeg gjör Dem bryderi som

saa ofte för.

De nævnte, at De skulde önske at se noget 

af mine illustrationer, desværre har jeg ikke 

kùnnet faa fat i nogen reproductioner af 

de, jeg tegnede til Kincks novelle i fjor, – men 

skal sende Dem disse saasnart det lykkes mig

de var jo en del bedre end disse to pröver

jeg sender idag. Det er nærmest noget fillearbeide.

Det kan hænde jeg blir nödt til at tage en 

tur til byen i vaar af hensyn til Engels lùnger,

da skal det være kjært at faa hilse paa 

Dem. Jeg har endelig i dag faaet Engel til for

alvor at "vænne af" Arnold, – han er jo me-

get over aaret og stabber omkring og er sint,

naar han ikke faar sin vilje frem. Kari var 

meget snildere men er bleven værre med aare-

ne. Engel beder hilse – dette blev nok 

et rodet brev – jeg snubler over mine egne sætnin-

ger, når jeg skal se det igjennem. Haaber I lever 

vel alle. Hils Inger fraa os. Eders hengivne Astrup

Sandalstrand 2/3 15

            Dear Mrs. Höst!

A long time has passed, before I respond to

Your letter, – it has been a difficult 

time with illness affecting everyone in the house. Engel’s

lungs are poor, and the children have bad

colds; – a virulent cold – which 

has pervaded the entire village indeed even 

the neighbouring villages – several people have died of it; –

it must be some sort of influenza.

Bronchitis the local nurse calls 

it. I have also been beleaguered by 

it, but what has been worse for me are

these constant choking fits – when

I assiduously use large doses of

potassium iodide, I can keep them somewhat at

bay, but then the potassium iodide wears out

the heart with constant use. I have at-

temped to be diligent, but one accomplishes

so little – when one is not well.

My primary intention was to

respond to several things in Your last

letter – You ask about, whether I 

am satisfied with the prices etc. – I 

can only thank You and again

a thousand thanks for all You have done

for me. You have conducted all of the sales

far better, than I could have managed 

myself – I ^would have been satisfied, even if 

I had gotten much lower prices.

I was satisfied with the small

prices, that I got via Miss Kamstrùp,

but it was a shame, that it would

turn out to be unfortunate for other sales – (according to 

what You said about [what happened] at the museum in throndhjem)

Yes it was a bit low-priced, and then in addition 

15% went to the artists association, 

I received 76 kr. for 5 prints; – but as mentioned 

I was happy to get anything in these

difficult times, – as I also responded to Miss

Kamstrup, when she wrote to me and made

an apology for having

sold [them] for such a cheap sum, – she did it

with the best intentions, as she believed I was

in great need of money, which I was, she 

naturally did not think, that it might

drag such consequences in its wake, that others 

would come to demand prints cheap

later as well. Well then again I did get a total

of a little more than 1000 kr. just for woodcuts –

   ^{well everything with the exception of the 76 kr..} 

most of it was through You – it

is true, as You said, – money can be had

from the woodcuts too. – But the mon-

oy ey went to debts practically all of it, and I 

am still very much in debt – for a month

now I have not had one öre – my

friend the schoolteacher has lent me several

times for medicine for Engel and the bare

essentials as well. 

Now I am sending the woodcuts, which Halvorsen

shall have for the 500 kr. – Would You be so

kind as to organise this for me and show him

the woodcuts; I hope that he will be 

pleased – I have really done my

utmost in printing neatly – should 

he nevertheless not be satisfied,

might he perhaps send me part of

the sum anyway "for immediate

relief", as You once called it, when You sent

me an advance for a woodcut.

Between us, I believe Kaland would 

have preferred, that I had sent him these

woodcuts for Halvorsen; but I do not believe he

is as good a salesman, as You are, – 

nevertheless I am sending him 3 prints for Halvorsen,

so that he will not be too an-

gry with me and "in order to hear his opin-

ion about these 3 prints". These 3 are: "Night

in June and large mountain", "Spring moon" and "Grain poles in

moonlight". These 3 are therefore missing from

the prints, which I am now sending You. It is a shame

that You must leave to Thesen 

the blue print of "March mood", when You would have

preferred to have it as a contrast to the other one;

II

since the two, which You now have are more related

to the blue one, and the greenish one, – furthermore 

Inger’s print (the jubilee print) was prac-

tically an artist’s proof, [made] before the blocks were 

totally finished, and some of the twigs were lump-

y. I have therefore decided to suggest to

You something, (which I hope You do not

misunderstand). I am sending as You can see a

new blue print – if You like it – You

can exchange it for the jubilee print, – I

will then write to Kaland to say, that I believe

there is a possibility that Miss Höst will be 

willing to exchange her jubilee print

with one of the two "March moods" I am now

submitting, and that I have asked You about 

this as an expression of goodwill, (which it 

is at the same time that You may have a better print).

In this way I will have a reason

to mention to Kaland, as to why I am sending 

some of the prints to You. Kaland

you see says in the letter, in which he pre-

sents the commission from Halvorsen,

that these prints for Halvorsen must be

the best prints that I can produce, and 

when Halvorsen now finds out, that he

can have The jubilee print, I think 

he will be more satisfied, than if

he actually got a better print.

"The Waterfall" I have unfortunately not managed to achieve

a very good print of – in fact I do not

have any prints left of it – I am 

sending the only one I have – I must

have burned the blocks – as they are nowhere

to be found.

I was afraid that I would not have

enough colour prints for 500 kr.; but now I 

have as You can see carved a new woodcut

of "Night in June and Marigolds", – the two prints, which 

I am sending now, are only artist’s proofs; – but 

since I will hardly print additional

types of atmospheres of this than these two types,

I wished to ask You which of these

two, You liked best – then I will make a 

better print for You of the atmosphere, which You 

preferred. The grey print – that is the one with 

grey air (of Marigolds and a night in June) belongs to

Korsvold, who was here and saw it, when

I printed these 2 proofs, – he liked

the grey one best and bought it and "spring

moon" from me, – I had an over-

due insurance policy in the amount of 80 Kr. which

he realised for me, and then he has

obtained a number of supplies for me. Dare I

ask You to be so kind, if Hal-

vorsen’s print will be sent to a framer, 

to send these two prints along with it – and have

them framed for Korsvold on my

account. You might perhaps prevent

Halvorsen from seeing the grey print; as then

he might be capable of demanding

to have it instead of the blue one.

I hope as I mentioned, to be able to make

a better print of this new woodcut for You – it

is a little late to print, – so I will not be able 

to finish it now in a rush, otherwise I should

have had a couple of prints to send You to select from.

I would nevertheless be grateful to

hear Your judgement about this woodcut – 

I am not satisfied with it myself, but

then these are merely two artist’s proofs, – I 

had to put these blocks aside in order

to hurry the work on the other

prints, – I do hope that this new

woodcut will be somewhat better. I have also

as You can see attempted a "bust of a girl" in a colour

woodcut, but it doesn’t quite work out, – 

it is as with all heads in woodcut:

"a new person for each print" – well

I have also added onto it a 

bit, and I have also carved a little on

the blocks between each of these highly 

different prints. If You and Inger 

care for these prints, then keep them – it 

would be amusing to hear, which of 

the girls You liked most, – it is al-

most an experiment, – something that most 

people would decline to have on 

their walls.

You mentioned, that You liked best the light

III

print of "Job" – I am therefore sending 2 light

prints of him, which You can exchange with

the ones, which You have from before or keep both

if You wish. When You wrote last year, that You liked

one of them in particular (of the two first prints) without

mentioning which – I assumed, that it

was the dark one, You meant, – and I therefore

made only dark prints this past fall – I

liked the dark ones best myself from the 

start; so I am sending You an artist’s proof of 

the same woodcut ("Job") before the blocks were

completed – if You should like to have it as a collec-

tor’s item – as it cannot be reprinted.

As for the new print of March mood in overcast weather ^blue,

I thought ^that if Halvorsen should not 

like the jubilee print, – that he could have

it, – and should he not like this one

either, then we can let him have the blue one, then I

shall will print a new one for Inger.

You ask, if it is true, that the two woodcuts:

"Rainbow" and "March mood" are a bit outside 

the framework of my art, – when it comes to Rainbow

it is perhaps true, – it was in fact 

unsuccessful as a woodcut. March mood

on the other hand, I believe is my own, – the ori-

ginal was painted almost 10 year ago

(the painting that is, which lawyer Knùdsen has).

As for Halvorsen, he should be able to buy

at a cheap price, as he is an old client

of mine, – and since he unfortunately received a

inferior picture of mine once, (though it was

not my fault that a sketch which I had 

given away – ended up with him). I have 

therefore listed the actual prices – (the minimum

prices) as follows :

Spring moon ……………………................. 40,00

The Waterfall ……………………................ 30,00

Soria Moria ………….……………............... 30,00

Night in June and Marigolds ......... 120,00

March mood ……………..………............. 120,00

Night in June and large mountain .. 80,00

Nude…..……………………………................. 80,00

As I was short on colour prints

as mentioned before (and Halvorsen – did not wish to have

black and white) – I made a one more block

for the nude and printed it in colour, – 

if Halvorsen does not like it, 

he could have the "Rainbow" (that

You have left) instead, – although You shall

keep the Rainbow that You like

best (the jubilee rainbow is the poorest)

The list that I set up here represented the mini-

mum prices, – one can also set up a 

list with maximum prices, – and then he

might as an old client have a percentage discount to

reduce the price, to correspond with the minimum 

prices and thus come down to the sum  

set by him of 500 kr. I shall suggest a

list of maximum prices as follows:

Spring Moon ………………................……… 55,00

The Waterfall……………………...............…. 50,00

Soria Moria ………………………................… 40,00

Night in June and Marigolds ……...... 140,00

March Mood ………………………............... 120,00

Night in June and Large Mountain…. 100,00

Nude (or "Rainbow") ..........................100,00

                                                                         605,00

                                             – 16% = 500,00

If he should wish to have both the nude and 

the Rainbow, he may then have the Rainbow for

50 kr. extra. Well I am inconveniencing You as

so often before.

You mentioned, that You wished to see some 

of my illustrations, unfortunately I have not been 

able to get hold of any reproductions of 

the one, that I drew for Kinck’s short story last year, – but 

shall send You these as soon as I succeed 

they were somewhat better than these two attempts

I am sending today. It is merely trifling work.

It is possible I will have to make a

trip to the city this spring for the sake of Engels lungs,

it would be wonderful to be able to meet 

You. I have finally today convinced Engel to 

"wean" Arnold in earnest, – he is far 

beyond a year and waddles around and is furious,

when he does not get his own way. Kari was 

much more even tempered but has become worse with

age. Engel sends her greetings – this has become 

a chaotic letter – I stumble over my own senten-

ces, when I try to read through it. Hope You are all 

living well. Say hello to Inger from us. Your devoted Astrup