Maber, John Stroud, 1836-1899, Diary of my tour in Italy in October 1892 , 1892, October 3-1896, April 24
- Title(s):
Diary of my tour in Italy in October 1892 / J.S. Maber.
- Additional Title(s):
Diary of a tour in Italy, 1892.
- Published/Created:
- Italy, 1892, October 3-1896, April 24
- Physical Description:
- 1 v. ([230] p.) ; 24 cm.
- Holdings:
- Rare Books and ManuscriptsDG430.2.M3 D53 1892Yale 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/8903488
- Classification:
- Archives & Manuscripts
- Notes:
- John Stroud Maber (1836-1899) was a Church of England curate at Woking (1881 census) and Ross (1891 census).
Binder's spine title: Diary of a tour in Italy. 1892. J.S.M.
Bound in contemporary half morocco, with title in gilt on spine.
Manuscript diary by John Stroud Maber kept during his tour of the major cities of Italy in October, 1892. The diary, written in pen, is entirely in the hand of Maber and includes an abundant amount of printed souvenirs pasted in. The tour to Italy was purchased as a package holiday from Henry Gaze & Sons ("tourist directors and hotel contractors"), whose printed voucher for the trip is pasted into the journal between the entries for Oct. 25 and 29. The touring party included Maber, a Mr. and Mrs. Edward Venables of Islington, and the tour's conductor, George Vickers, of Plaistow, whose business card is pasted in at the front of the diary. The party left London on Oct. 3, 1892, and returned on Oct. 25. The route included London, Paris, Lucerne, Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome, and (on the return) Pisa, Genoa, Turin, Aix-les-Bains, Paris, and London. Stays in most cities lasted one night only, except Rome, where Maber spent an entire week. Like many tourists, Maber spent much of his journey viewing monuments, churches (20 in Rome alone), and major art attractions.
Maber's holiday experience is generally positive, especially his stays in Rome, Genoa, and Venice, which he considers "charming and delightful in everything except the mosquitoes" and where "sailing in a gondola is the most delicious thing possible". He also takes interest in Swiss scenery and the engineering of railroad tunnels. Maber does have occasional complaints: the French countryside is bland, the Sistine Chapel "did not come up to our expectations", the trains in Italy are "few and slow", and Italian porters are most often useless. Printed material pasted into the diary accounts for more than half of its content. There are plans of major cities, many postcards of monuments, churches, and other buildings, tickets, menus, hotel advertisements, press clippings, and occasional panoramic views. Much of the material is printed in color, and there are very few photographic items.
After his return to England, Maber continues to add notes and ephemera concerning the places he visited during his holiday, along with a small amount of correspondence from his travelling companions. Of particular note is a program advertising a "Magic lantern entertainment" to be given by Maber on December 26, 1892, (in a church schoolroom at Ross) on the subject of his visit to Italy. - Subject Terms:
- Church buildings -- Italy -- Rome.Italy -- Description and travel.Italy -- Social life and customs.Maber, John Stroud, 1836-1899 -- Diaries.Maber, John Stroud, 1836-1899 -- Travel -- Italy.Rome (Italy) -- Antiquities.Rome (Italy) -- Description and travel.Tourism -- Italy.Travelers' writings, English.Venice (Italy) -- Description and travel.
- Form/Genre:
- Diaries.
Ephemera.
Travel literature -- Italy -- 1892-1896.
Chromolithographs -- 1892-1896.
Wood engravings -- 1892-1896.
Lithographs -- 1892-1896. - Export:
- XML