Wilde (Oscar).- Death certificate of Oscar Wilde, later file copy, printed document filled in by hand, giving Wilde's full name, profession and address, as well as the time of his death and names of his father and wife, the document witnessed by Reginald Gesling and Robert Ross, signed by the Maire and his assistant, on paper watermarked '1906', government stamps in ink and blind, ink note in another hand 'Wilde 139/ 2312' to head, light browning and creasing to extremities, light finger-soiling, folds, 300 x 210mm., 1908.

⁂ An administrative copy of Wilde's death certificate, created 8 years after original. We can trace no other copy at auction with all copies seemingly in the national archives of France or the UK.

In a letter dated 14th December 1900, Robert Ross recounts in detail Wilde's final days including the lengthy administrative procedure: "I started with Gesling to see officials. We did not part till 1.30, so you can imagine the formalities and oaths and exclamations and signing of papers. Dying in Paris is really a very difficult and expensive luxury for a foreigner." Reginald Gesling was the undertaker attached to the British embassy.