Paintings by Impressionist artist Claude Monet (1840–1926) are some of the most valuable artworks in the world; in 2019 his Meules (Haystacks) soared to $110.7 million at Sotheby’s New York, setting an auction record for an Impressionist painting that still stands today. From glowing haystacks painted at different hours of the day to his monumental Nymphéas (Water Lilies) canvases and ethereal Venetian cityscapes, Monet’s work has attracted a global following of collectors eager to own a piece of his luminous art.

But at the beginning of his career Monet, like many of the Impressionists, struggled to make ends meet. As reported by Artnet News, a letter confirming a loan to the artist from Gustave Manet, a brother of Monet’s fellow Impressionist Édouard Manet, will be among a tranche of Monet’s correspondence coming up for auction at Autograph Auctions on March 25.