MAURICE CHEVALIER (1888/1972): An original French-made canot - Lot 61

MAURICE CHEVALIER (1888/1972): An original French-made canotier by the artist, dating from 1927. Long kept by the singer, this hat was offered in 1947 to one of his comrades, taken prisoner of war with him at Cons-la-Grandville on August 22, 1914. Both were wounded and transferred to Altengrabow, one of the largest German prison camps near Berlin. In the summer of 1916, thanks to Mistinguett's diplomatic intervention with Alphonse XIII, King of Spain, Maurice Chevalier and his comrade were released. Good condition, despite some wear and perspiration. At the bottom of the boater is a half-sheet with the artist's signature and the date of the two friends' unexpected reunion in 1947.