Details

Subjects:

Powel, Samuel, 1738-1793.
Morgagni, Giambattista, 1682-1771.
Voltaire, 1694-1778.
American diaries -- 18th century -- Specimens.
American diaries -- Male authors -- 18th century.
American diaries.
Male authors.
Italy -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800.
Italy.
Switzerland -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800.
France -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800.
France.
Switzerland.

Form/Genre:

Codices.
Diaries.
Reading lists.
Manuscripts, English.
Manuscripts, European.
Specimens.

Language:

English, with occasional notes (especially inscriptions or titles) in Latin, French, and Italian.

Biography/History:

Alumnus of the College of Philadelphia (A.B., 1757) and the University of Edinburgh (M.D., 1763); traveled in Europe before returning to Philadelphia and founding the first medical school in the American colonies at the College of Philadelphia in 1765.

Summary:

Record of a trip with fellow Philadelphian Samuel Powel, from Rome northward through Bologna, Padua, Venice, Milan, and Turin, over the Alps to Geneva, and through Lyons and Paris to Calais, by boat to Dover, and from there to London. The entries include many details on landscape, architecture, art, and inscriptions. Morgan also describes meetings with prominent individuals such as Giambattista Morgagni, professor of anatomy at the Università di Padova, and the philosopher Voltaire. On leaves at the end of the volume (f. 138v-140r) are lists of books, natural and artificial curiosities, plates (prints) and drawings, and paintings shipped home to Philadelphia by Morgan. The books include works of Morgagni published in Venice, "novels" of Boccaccio in Italian published in Amsterdam, Voltaire's Tancrède published in Geneva, and Benjamin Franklin on electricity in 3 parts published in London. There are additional notes by Morgan about expenses at the beginning (under the flap, inside upper cover) and miscellaneous notes at the end (f. 141v; inside lower cover).

Notes:

Ms. codex.
Title from 19th-century title page added by James B. Morgan (f. i recto).
Collation: Paper, 142; 1¹⁶(-1, pastedown) 2-8¹⁶ 9¹⁶(-1, pastedown); [i, 1-141], modern foliation in pencil, lower right recto (f. 124v-141r blank). Catchwords on many leaves, lower right corner.
Script: Written in cursive script by John Morgan.
Binding: Contemporary (18th-century) parchment over stiff paper, with flap on upper cover, now almost detached.
Origin: Written while traveling in Italy, Switzerland, France, and England, from 6 July 1764 (f. 2r) to 31 October 1764 (f. 123v).

Penn Provenance:

Formerly owned by James Bunyan Morgan (inscription, Pittsburgh, 1847, f. i recto), grandnephew of John Morgan, and other descendants including James's son Algernon Sidney Mountain Morgan (preface of printed edition).
Gift of Julia Morgan Harris and George Morris Morgan, 1941 (University of Pennsylvania bookplate, inside upper cover; pencil note, f. i recto).

Publications about:

Printed for private circulation as The journal of Dr. John Morgan of Philadelphia, from the city of Rome to the city of London, 1764, together with a fragment of a journal, written at Rome, 1764, and a biographical sketch (Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1907).

Cited as:

UPenn Ms. Codex 1637

Contributor:

Morgan, James Bunyan, former owner.
Morgan, Algernon Sidney Mountain, 1831-1914, former owner.
Harris, Julia Morgan, donor.
Morgan, George Morris, donor.

OCLC:

850420606