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George Lynde Catlin Diaries
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Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
George Lynde Catlin, the son of Lynde Catlin and Helen Margaret Kipp, was born in Albany, New York in 1810. He worked as an attorney based in New York City and had at least five children with his wife, Catherine Livingston Gardner. Catlin died on April 8, 1866 in Staten Island, New York.
Consists of nine diaries and loose diary pages, as well as a letter, written by George Catlin while traveling primarily through Europe. Catlin, a New York attorney, toured Europe between 1835 and 1836 and wrote extensively about his experinces abroad in his diaries.
Catlin began his trip in New York City where he boarded the ship Formosa on June 23, 1835 with his travelling companion Dr. L. C. Ferris. The ship sailed to Havre, France, where Catlin visited an old friend and school mate by the name of C. Norwood who was living in France. From there, Catlin details stops in Paris, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania. The loose pages, which appear to be, in part, leaves from the diaries also describe travel in France and Italy, as well as Scotland.
There is one four page letter included in the collection, which Catlin wrote to his mother. The letter appears to be written from Moscow, Russia and in it Catlin recounts the journey he made from St. Petersburg. Another two page letter from an unidentified correspondent is also included.
Purchased with the help of the Program in Hellenic Studies with the support of the Stanley J. Seeger Hellenic Fund, 2017 (AM 2018-17).
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This collection was processed by Chloe Pfendler in August 2017. Finding aid written by Chloe Pfendler in August 2017.
No materials were separated during 2017 processing.
People
Subject
- Travel -- History -- 19th century -- Diaries
- Travel writing -- Europe -- 19th century -- Diaries
- Sailing ships -- American -- 19th century
Place
- France -- Description and travel -- 19th century.
- Italy -- Description and travel -- 19th century.
- Greece -- Description and travel -- 19th century.
- Romania -- Description and travel -- 19th century.
- Bulgaria -- Description and travel -- 19th century.
- Turkey -- Description and travel -- 19th century.
- Scotland -- Description and travel -- 19th century.
- Publisher
- Manuscripts Division
- Finding Aid Author
- Chloe Pfendler
- Finding Aid Date
- 2017
- Access Restrictions
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Open for research.
- Use Restrictions
-
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Collection Inventory
1 box
Handwritten diary; 14pp
Physical Description1 folder
Handwritten diary; 45 pp
Physical Description1 folder
Handwritten diary; 45 pp
Physical Description1 folder
Handwritten diary; 18 pp
Physical Description1 folder
Handwritten diary; 46 pp
Physical Description1 folder
Handwritten diary; 35 pp
Physical Description1 folder
Handwritten diary; 47 pp
Physical Description1 folder
Handwritten diary; 46 pp
Physical Description1 folder
Handwritten diary; 44 pp
Physical Description1 folder
55 loose pages that appear to be from a diary in which Catlin details travel through France, Italy, and Scotland.
Physical Description1 folder
1 box
ALS; 4 pp. Written to Catlin's mother while he was in Moscow, Russia.
Physical Description1 folder
ALS; 2 pp. Letter from an unknown correspondent found between the pages of one of the Catlin diaries during processing.
Physical Description1 folder