Description

This stunningly illustrated diary of two travels to Europe was written by a young woman in fine calligraphy in a form of a diary, shortly describing every day of the trip.

Pages are adorned with fine floral decoration, representing flowers of month described, coloured initials, executed in modern in historic styles, and pencil drawings, often with yellow toning, representing the visited cities. The book is bound in elegant green washed silk with gold lettering.

The journey started on May 11, and finished on Wednesday, July 5, 1868. The route took the travelers from probably London, to Amiens, Paris, Dijon, Geneve, Chamonix, Lausanne, Bern, Interlaken, Lucerne, Heidelberg, Frankfurt, Leipzig, Dresden, Mainz, Cologne, Antwerp, Brussels, Waterloo, Ghent and through Calais back to England.

The same company gathered, after writing letters to each-other, again on September 18th in Canterbury and visited Abbeville, Dover and Paris, from where they were making outings to places, such as Fontainebleau and Compiègne. The party returned to England on Saturday, October 16, 1868, when they parted at Folkstone.

The entries end with the date October 21 and the rest of the book is left blank.

The author, who had to be a young woman, belonging to the upper social class, remains anonymous, but mentions her travelling companion or companions as “we”. They were accompanied by Mrs. French and seen off at the station by one Mr. E. Mayne. In Paris they were both times hosted by Mrs. C. Love and her husband Dr. Love.