Diary of Daniel Sargent Curtis

To Lido. 10.30– Another fine day– Mr Browning talked of Miss M. Fuller & of her end. He did not find “The Mountainous Me” wh. Emerson attributed to her– Of meeting one Alcott in Carlyle’s company—when RB a young man. Alcott talked silly extravagance, wh. B. attacked—& Carlyle...

Lido with R.B. who Read aloud last eveg 1200 lines from Ring & Book (all composed in Engd) the Priest—(VI book) Of this Poem he said, “it is written largely—like painting in fresco—not in little squares.” Talked of men’s dress & of their wearg jewels, of wh. he does not approve. Sd...

To Lido. A Dutch lookg day & sea, wh. recalled to Mr Browning a picture by Van de Velde—very long, in Holford House, wh. had been cut in halves as the sky effects were different. Mr H. bought them separately and reunited them. Spoke of Landor & his pleasure when R.B. remembered his writings....

To Lido with Browning—after storm in night wh made a foamg & roarg sea & lined the beach with seaweeds. RB talked of the old Serjeants, and Q.C’s—of Ld Campbell—who bid to dine by Queen, sd cd not leave his wife. I liked it. He once rose by mistake to answer a toast to the Navy—expectg...

Fine, & to Lido with Mr B. Talked of Sir F. Leighton & Mrs Orr, his sister, his most intimate friend (whom we met with the Bs’ years ago at the ‘Universo’)[.] Their grandfather physician to the Czar & present at birth of the Czar who was killed, who was godfather[1] to Mrs Orr. She widow...

Perhaps the finest day yet at Lido, and the whole range of Friuli visible, covd with shining snow. Browning & we landed at Quattro Fontane & walkd towd Malamocco. He talked chiefly about John Foster, who first noticed him by review of Paracelsus ‘and got the publishers to print my books when...

Splendid sun, no wind. To Lido, 4 Fontane, where R.B. said he would live, all the year round, if he had not his new London house. That day week he would be in London. Talked of what he should read aloud tomorrow—and fixed on ‘The Inn Album’ (wh. he once called ‘one of my best...

Finest snow effect on Friuli Alps– Like views from Pau or Berne. Browning very gay. Hoped he shd. never survive power of occupying himself—as Greville, whom he saw knitting to pass the time. Much debate as to what he shd. read aloud this P.M. He wished ‘The Inn Album’ but agreed it was...

Mr Browning had to sit to his son for his portrait, so could not accompany us to Lido.

Mr. B. still engaged by the portrait. But came at 3 P.M. to Palo Barbaro to be photographed by my son. On taking a book to hold in his hand, he said he had already been taken holding that same book, (Ovid, by Symeoni, Lyons, 1559, with wood-cuts.) wh. as it is a quite rare book, was a singular...

Portrait this AM. But met Mr Browning in eveg at a party given by Baron Warsburg, Chambern to Empress of Austria now Austr Consul at Venice—in Palo Modena, wh. he has refitted. The Company all foreigners—as Venetians offended by his card “resta chez lui.”[1] We had already met most of...

To Lido & Mr Browning could go. Talked long of his wife. How they lost the box with Mss. of Aurora Leigh at Marseilles. Met Septimus [sic, for Alfred] Barrett her brother there on Mily business (Crimean war going on). Mrs B. chiefly anxious for her baby’s clothes in the box—& kept referring...

Went at 5 PM. to say good bye, as RB leaves Venice at 9, next AM. Evidently sorry to go. Sd a French admirer telegd he shd lie in wait to travel to Boulogne with them. ‘Rather he didn’t.’ They went at 9 AM. slept at Milan, Basel, Amiens. Kind [to] A. at parting. His stay at Venice greatly...

From Septr 19 to Dec. 11. ’88 we have seen Mr Browning almost daily—sometimes twice a day—& often for three & four hours alone. He talks much & well, often & fully of his own life from boyhood—of his father, his gdfather, his school-days, his engagement & marriage to Miss Barrett—of...

We took Wm Story to Lido, to see “Browning’s House”; i.e. the great unfinished wooden villa, began for V. Emanuel at Quattro Fontane, wh. Browning wd. like to end his days in, & where last year we went almost daily for 2½ months. Views of Venice & Laguna most beautiful. Sat in its hall &...

Dr Villiers Stanford here—played his new Tennyson Composition for Leeds. Said that Browning’s technicalities in Abt Vogler are incorrect nonsense, and played them on the piano. This is like the cry of the specialists about Buckle—‘He may know all the rest, but he don’t know my...

At dinner at R B Brownings, Palazzo Rezzonico. William Story and Mr Cartwright had much talk of W. S. Landor at Sienna, when his wife turned him out on the high-road at noon of a hot summer day.* Browning protected him and Story sheltered him for six weeks. He was 80 years old, & S. said the...

Story said (Po Barbaro, Oct 6/89) that once he heard Browning read from the Ring & the Book aloud—after which he said, “If I had ever read this aloud before I printed it, I would not have printed so much of it.”

Robt Browning came from Asolo to Palazzo Rezzonico, wh. his son has restored and lately occupied. We called on him and he on us, both out, and next day both again called, and we found him & Miss B. in the Pope’s apartment. Said should not stay long, and wished for some Lido walks. His new...

Called, as arranged, at 3 PM for Brownings at Rezzonico. Said they had put off an interview with an American Browning Society Sachem, to go to Lido. Delighted with the beauty of Venice, almost a return of summer—exquisite clouds. R.B. first told of landing in Italy and at once going on foot to...

To Lido at 3 with Mr Browning. Landed S. Eliz. along beach to Favorita & by lane to S. Niccolo. He said in the Austrians’ time they did not let one walk here. I wished to find the tomb of Salinguerra in the Church S. Niccolo—and standing between the church and the great plane tree he told us...

Called at Pal. Rezzonico at 3. as arranged for Mr Browning who had been all day correcting the final proofs of his new book of Poems, and asked me to take him to the Post Office to send them to London. As we went down past Rialto he pointed to an apartment in Palace next P. Grimani & said...

At 3 P.M. we called for Mr & Miss Browning and rowed to Quattro Fontane, where landed and walked amid the dogs, turkeys, geese & ducks of the farm, to the beach, sending the gondola to the Fort halfway to Malamocco. We then walked over the dunes, sea & sky most delicately beautiful and a long...

As R.B. said, this lovely day would be better spent at Lido than in the rooms of Princess of Montenegro– We were booked, however, and at 5 we called at Pal. Rezo for Mr & Miss Browning and rowed to Palo Molin ai Frari. Her salon is hung with family portraits of Montenegrin Altesses, in...

A fog all day, but Mr Browning was standing ready on the steps of Rezzonico, and we rowed to S. Elisabetta, and walked in the sands, where the figures of people and children dipping for razor-shells, reminded us of Millet’s peasants in the brume– Of Longfellow’s good nature. He came to see...