Letter from William Henry Seward to Frances Miller Seward, November 5, 1859

  • Posted on: 10 December 2021
  • By: admin
xml: 
Letter from William Henry Seward to Frances Miller Seward, November 5, 1859
x

transcriber

Transcriber:spp>amr

student editor

Transcriber:spp:cnk

Distributor:Seward Family Digital Archive

Institution:University of Rochester

Repository:Rare Books and Special Collections

Date:1859-11-05

In the context of this project, private URIs with the prefix "psn" point to person elements in the project's persons.xml authority file. In the context of this project, private URIs with the prefix "pla" point to place elements in the project's places.xml authority file. In the context of this project, private URIs with the prefix "psn" point to person elements in the project's staff.xml authority file. In the context of this project, private URIs with the prefix "psn" point to person elements in the project's bibl.xml authority file. verical-align: super; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: underline; text-decoration: line-through; color: red;

Letter from William Henry Seward to Frances Miller Seward, November 5, 1859

action: sent

sender: William Seward
Birth: 1801-05-16  Death: 1872-10-10

location: Turin, Italy

receiver: Frances Seward
Birth: 1805-09-24  Death: 1865-06-21

location: Auburn, NY

transcription: amr 

revision: zz 2021-02-21

<>

Page 1

x

Editorial Note

William Henry Seward’s series of travel letters in 1859 are organized and listed by the date of each entry.
Turin Saturday 5th November
As yet here, I have studied with some care
the pictures in the Royal Gallery. The
collection is not large, but is very select
and embraces all of the schools except the
Spanish. How I coveted the Madonna
of Carlo Dolce Dolci
Birth: 1616-05-25 Death: 1687-01-17
, so unlike all
other pictures of the same subject. How I
lingered among the Titians
x

 

, the Guidos the
Paul Veronese
 Death: 1588-04-09
. How I wonder at the
inspiration of Paul Potter
 Death: 1654-01-17
in his depictment
and the equal spirit of Claude Lorraine
Birth: 1604 Death: 1682-11-23

in his. How the Dutch School was up
distinctly before me a Rembrant
x

 

Rubens
Birth: 1577-06-28 Death: 1640-05-30

Van Dyke
Birth: 1599-03-22 Death: 1641-12-09
, and how even the French school
impassive and soulless as it is fascinated
me. All this I may tell you but cannot [hole]
Page 2

35
A former Sardinian consul
Birth: 1776-01-04 Death: 1852-03-09
made a valuable collection
of antiquities in Egypt which the Government bought of him.
I have been studying it to day with much interest
These are more perfect presentations of human bodies
than I have ever seen – even the hair and the features
distinct. Modern ornament has no ^fine^ style of ring or
bracelet that was not used by ^the^ ancient Egyptians. I
could have taken of this kind off of the
hands of ladies who had slept the sleep of
death three thousand years But all this was
less surprising than to find the cloth, the thread
the needle, the paint boxes, paint brushes
paints and other things which were used in
use so long ago, and are found now just as if they
had been dropped or laid down temporarily
an hour ago. There are eggs taken from the
Egyptian Kitchen, and even a ducks prepared
for the spit. The Egyptians were fond of pet
animals. They had preserved mastiff dogs
cats apes and birds, which are far better
preserved than the human bodies you so often see
But you have enough of curiosities and indeed
enough of Egypt in my former letters.