Call Number:

Ms. Coll. 1391

Repository:

University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts

Extent:

1 linear_foot (2 boxes)

Preferred Citation:

Eugene Labiche travel diaries, "Voyage en Italie," 1834 January 26-August 15, Ms. Coll. 1391, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania

Date:

1834 january 26-august 15 (inclusive)

Creator:

Labiche, Eugène and Nadar, Félix

Form:

Sketches and Diaries

Abstract:

Eugène Labiche (1815-1888) was a French comic playwright known for popular and amusing comedies who traveled to Italy in 1834 at the age of 18. He recorded the daily experiences of his journey through the south of France, Italy, and Switzerland in 44 rough notebooks and 2 fair copy notebooks. His friend, Gaspard-Félix Tournachon (1820-1910), more commonly (and much more famously) known as Nadar, helped Labiche make a fair copy of a portion of his travel diary from his notes and provided a few illustrations in the 2 volumes.

Eugène Labiche (1815-1888) was a French comic playwright known for popular and amusing comedies, such as The Italian Straw Hat (Un chapeau de paille d'Italie) (1851), Maman Sabouleux (1852), L'Affaire de la rue de Lourcine (1857), Les Deux Timides (1860), Le Voyage de monsieur Perrichon (1860), La Poudre aux yeux (1861), La Cagnotte (1864), and Les Trente Millions de Gladiator (1875). His father was a prosperous Parisian grocer, who allowed Labiche to take a six and a half month journey to Italy with several of his friends.

In 1834, at the age of 18, Labiche toured Italy, leaving Paris in January and returning to his home in August. Over the course of the trip, he visited Lyon, Avignon, Marseille, the Riviera, and Nice, en route to Italy; Genoa, Livorno, Pisa, Florence, Siena, Rome, Naples, Sicily, Venice, Verona, and Milan, in Italy; and Switzerland, on his way back to France. During his visits to cities, he conscientiously recorded his experiences, including adventures, accommodations, food, museums, culture, social interactions, and history. He traveled with friends (Monsieur Kell, Edouard [last name unknown], and Alphonse Leveaux, in particular) whom he mentions frequently in his diaries. His recordings were transferred from rough notes (44 small paper-bound volumes) into 2 hard bound volumes, some of which was copied by Labiche, and some of which was copied by his friend, Gaspard-Félix Tournachon (1820-1910), more commonly (and much more famously) known as Nadar, and possibly by a third person. It is unclear if Nadar traveled with Labiche or was simply asked to make a fair copy of his notes.

Labiche and Nadar appear to have remained friends throughout their lives. In 1870, Nadar photographed Labiche and in 1880, Nadar described Labiche's journals as remarkably picturesque and full of observations. In addition to making a fair copy of Labiche's rough notes, Nadar provided a few illustrations on the fly-leaves and title pages.

This collection consists of 2 fair copy notebooks and 44 rough notebooks, written in French, documenting Eugène Labiche's 1834 journey through the south of France, Italy, and Switzerland. During the six and a half month journey, Labiche recorded his experiences nearly every day.

The collection is arranged in two series: I. "Voyage en Italie," fair copy and II. Original travel notes. The fair copy was taken from the original travel notes. The first 118 pages of the first volume of the fair copy was written in Labiche's hand. Nadar commenced copying mid-entry and completed the first volume and began the second. It is possible that a third, unidentified copier, completed the second volume. Nadar added a watercolor decorative title page to the second volume, and there are unsigned sketches and a decorative initial in both volumes that were probably drawn by Nadar.

The original travel notes are written in pencil and are often difficult, but not impossible, to read. Each volume, stitched in its original blue paper wrappers, was numbered by Labiche and was probably written in throughout each day. Entries are written largely in complete sentences, but there is little punctuation in these rough copies (although the fair copies are liberal with multiple exclamation points). They were clearly never intended to be Labiche's final version.

On a daily basis, in both the fair copy and the original travel notes, Labiche recorded the date, when he awoke, and what he did. He frequently included a report on the weather, how well he slept, where he ate, and what he ate. He described transportation, custom points, fellow travelers, street scenes, his accommodations, tourist sites, museums, reading, his health, and occasionally, his encounters with women. When visiting certain museums (such as the Ufizzi and the Pitti Palace), Labiche's descriptions are extremely detailed, with descriptions of each gallery.

Labiche departed from Paris on January 26 and spent much of February traveling through France making stops in Lyon, Vaucluse, Remoulins, Nimes, Marseille, Toulon, and Nice. He left France from Nice, via a boat to Genoa.

In March, Labiche began his journey in Italy visiting Genoa (where they saw a Mary Magdalene by Titian in the Palazzo Durazzo and he and his friends visited a brothel), Livorno, Pisa (where he visited the leaning tower, the cathedral, and the baptistery), and Florence. They remained in Florence from about March 9 to 15, and a highlight of that visit appears to have been the Ufizzi on March 11, where they saw Michelangelo's Doni Tondo (Holy Family) and Venus by Titian, which is described in detail (in notebook 44 and the first volume of the fair copy). In addition, Labiche and his friends visited the Duomo, the Laurentian Library, and another brothel. From Florence, they traveled through Sienna before stopping in Rome from mid-March to mid-April. While in Rome, Labiche and friends visited the Forum, St. Peter's, the Sistine Chapel, the Coliseum, the Trevi fountains, the Borghese gallery, and the catacombs. They also made short trips to the surrounding countryside. The group left Rome on April 13 and arrived in Naples on the 15th, where they climbed Mount Vesuvius and Labiche fell in love with Louise, who he met in a bordello. The group then traveled to Sicily where they remained until the end of May. Labiche and his friends returned to Naples from the end of May until June 12, traveling again through Rome and Florence (visiting the Pitti Palace) before arriving in Venice (riding in gondolas, visiting the theatre, monuments, the Café Florian, and swimming at the beaches. From there, Labiche continued through Italy, visiting Verona and Milan.

Towards the end of July, Labiche was in Switzerland, first at Voltaire's former home at Ferney, noting the beautiful scenery, and then in Fribourg. By August 15, Labiche had returned to Paris, happy to be home despite his many adventures. These volumes provide a valuable glimpse into travel in the 19th century; the impressions of a young, prosperous French gentleman; and the free and joyous writing of one of France's beloved playwrights in the years before his fame.