Diary of Annie Adams Fields

Tuesday Venice. Some Rain.

Wednesday. Venice. More Rain.

Thursday 12th Unmitigated, unrivalled sunshine. We were floating today 8 hours in our gondola. In the distance as we lay upon the lagoon we saw the mountains of Friuli and the Euganean hills sparkling and quivering up into the blue in their impalpable snowy beauty.

Thursday and Friday—two long days of witchery. I cannot tell what we did I only know we lived. I knew all this could be shut up or I should say opened out into these lives of ours but have found it only here.

Saturday 14th We left and

Sunday 15th found ourselves in Milan. The wonder of this Cathedral, the color, the beauty, the mystery, and all this was my dream!! Is it not always so? Is not our life one glorious realisation and is not death to be the consummation of the unveiling? Does not our Faith say however we may climb,...

Monday 16th Came to Turin.

Tuesday 17th Left at 6 P.M. for Susa. Left Susa by Diligence at 8 to cross Mt. Cenis. Met a huge snow-storm in the night. I was without over-boots which it must be always well to have here. In the morning we became imprisoned in a drift and after being almost overturned. We were obliged to...

Wednesday 18th Passed the night at Chambéry. Left at 2 P.M.

Thursday 19th Came to Paris arrived

Friday 8 A.M. Very tired.

Saturday 21st Shopping all day. We don’t like the Hotel Trois Empereurs very well.

Sunday 22d Went to the Gallery, called at Dr Bigelow’s, and passed the evening with the Greene’s.

Monday 23d Came to London and slept at the York Hotel. How nice it was!!

Tuesday 24th Found wonderfully good lodgings at 41 Jermyn Street, Mrs Effingham. Jamie says it is the street where Scott always stayed when he came to London. Rested by a good coal fire.

Wednesday 25th At home in Jermyn St. quietly till the evening when we went to hear Albert Smith and laughed immoderately.

Thursday 26th Wrote letters. I am reading Hawthorne’s marvellous book. We went down to the Bennochs to dine and pass the night. Dr Smiles and his wife came in to pass the evening and talk over “Self Help.” Simple-hearted, simple-mannered people they are with clear minds and high...

Friday 27th Passed the day with Mrs Bennoch in the green-house or on the lawn or by the cosy drawing-room fire-side. Jamie came at 6 to dine and afterward we walked out to see the Croslands & Bennetts.

Saturday 28th Laden with kindnesses & flowers we came to London at 12 o’clk and about 4 started out to see Holman Hunt’s picture Christ teaching in the Temple. How can the world ever be unbelieving and short-sighted enough to say that Christianity totters? Surely this great picture is a...

Sunday 29th Quietly at home. Walked to hear the Church of England service at St. Martin in the Fields in the afternoon.

Monday 30th Plenty of work for Jamie. He was gone till towards the afternoon when we took a lovely walk together, called at Barry Cornwalls. They were not at home. In the evening went to hear Robson. He played Uncle Zachary and Mr Benjamin Bobbin. Nothing could be more touching than the former...

Tuesday May 1st Lovely day. Went again as soon as breakfast to see Holman Hunt’s great picture. It is like bringing men face to face with the scene itself to carry them to that picture. I believe a divine inspiration was breathed upon that man and that he is one more distinctly chosen than...

Wednesday 2d Went to the 2 Exhibitions of Water-colors where we found incomparable pictures each in their own style by Birket Foster, Prout, Rowbotham, Vacher, John Chase, Carl Werner and many others—the Queen had just left the New Exhibition when we entered. Mr Trollope lunched with us....

Thursday 3d Went to see Cropsey’s great picture “Autumn on the Hudson.” We found them friendly nice people and the picture truly wonderful. The difficult attempt to harmonize the marvellously brilliant colors of our autumn scenery has been an entire success.

Friday 4th Mr Crosland went with us at 12 to see the great London docks. They are 11 acres in extent holding 30,000 pipes of wine. From thence to the tobacco warehouse where we found a quantity of excellent goods burning up in the Queen’s tobacco pipe because they were found contraband. We...