This lot is accompanied by an extremely rare photograph of Josephine Bracken, inscribed at the back with the words in pencil “Josephine in the city of Hong Kong”

ABOUT THE WORK

Josephine Bracken has been variously described as a simple Irish lass who just happened to have fallen in love with the Philippines’ national Hero, José Rizal — and by some accounts, married him in secret rites in Fort Santiago, just hours before the greatest Malay would die in a hail of bullets. She is also considered a pro-Filipino patriot in her own right — but has also been accused of being an English spy and Mata Hari, even a Spanish collaborator. Rumors swirled around her constantly from the moment she set foot in distant Dapitan, followed Rizal home to Manila from his exile, and till after his eventual martyrdom on the Luneta killing field. She had an uneasy relationship with Rizal’s family who were unsure of what to do with her after Rizal’s death. Bracken certainly knew what she wanted — and can be considered one of the pantheon of Filipina heroines stretching from Gabriela Silang to the Katipunan’s lakambini Gregoria de Jesus, Marcela Agoncillo and Rizal’s own fearless sisters. Records show that Bracken had arrived in Hong Kong on May 23, 1897 on board the ship “Yuensang” that flew the English colors. She stayed at the house of Jose Ma. Basa, a well-known friend of Rizal who helped smuggle in countless copies of his banned novels into the country. Bracken was also visited by various members of the “Junta Filibustera” and would routinely speak out against the Spanish authorities. In this letter, she writes to Emilio Aguinaldo before the Pact of Biak-na-Bato — introducing an American called J.T. Manniex. (Bracken’s adoptive father was an Irish-American.) Bracken says asks that he be shown important documents about the Revolution (she calls it “the insurrection) and says that arms may be procured with his assistance. She writes in Spanish with several misspellings and the occasional use of English words. -Lisa Guerrero Nakpil