Diary of a European tour, 1850, June 20-August 30
- Title(s):
- Diary of a European tour.
- Published/Created:
- Europe, 1850, June 20-August 30.
- Physical Description:
- 1 v. (93 leaves) ; 17 cm.
- Holdings:
- Rare Books and ManuscriptsDD901.D74 D53 1850Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon FundView by request in the Study Room [Request]
Note: The Study Room is open by appointment. Please visit the Study Room page on our website for more details. - Copyright Status:
- Copyright Not Evaluated
- Full Orbis Record:
- http://hdl.handle.net/10079/bibid/8150944
- Classification:
- Archives & Manuscripts
- Notes:
- In contemporary marbled wrappers.
Manuscript diary, in a single hand, kept by an unidentified Englishman during a trip through Europe in 1850. The diarist departs by boat from Woolwich, on 20 June 1850, with a group of officers and cadets of the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers, which suggests that he may also have been a serviceman. Among his travelling party are several members of the Teesdale family, including Christopher Charles Teesdale, who would later become the first South African-born recipient of the Victoria Cross. The nature of the diarist's voyage is never explicitly stated. The main business may have been at Dresden, where the diarist stays for the end of June and all of July. While there, he records a visit (by appointment) to a Dresden arsenal.
Whether or not the trip was made on military business, the diarist records significant social and tourist activity. The itinerary is clearly noted on several preliminary pages: Antwerp, Louvain, Cologne, Hanover, Dresden, Freiberg, Dresden again, Prague, Vienna, Graz, Trieste, Venice, Padua, Bologna, Florence, Pisa, Leghorn (Livorno), and Naples. The longest stay by far is at Dresden, with shorter visits to neighboring areas of Saxony. Much of the travel is by steamboat or train, with train fares noted. The author frequently records the nature of the scenery as seen through the window of his train or boat. He also notes the quality of many dinners, and the names of his dining companions. In German cities, he records trips to the opera, and throughout the diary he notes his impressions of local architecture, especially churches.
Accompanying the diary are a number of his small printed train tickets from the journey, along with a slip of paper dated 25 April 1839, addressed to Mrs. Colonel Jenkins of Brighton (possibly the diarist's wife). - Subject Terms:
- Austria -- Description and travel.Dresden (Germany) -- Description and travel.Dresden (Germany) -- Social life and customs.Germany -- Description and travel.Great Britain. Army. Royal Regiment of Artillery -- Officers -- Diaries.Italy -- Description and travel.Railroad travel -- Europe.Saxony-Anhalt (Germany) -- Description and travel.Saxony-Anhalt (Germany) -- Social life and customs.
- Form/Genre:
- Diaries.
- Export:
- XML