Photo by G. Sommer of Naples, Italy
In February of 1890, the Glessner family
embarked on their first overseas journey. For the next three months the Chicago
aristocrats travelled to Paris and around Italy, Frances Glessner (and occasionally
her husband John) recording the details of each day’s outing in her meticulous
journal. Somewhere along the way several photograph panels were purchased and
made into four rather large albums depicting various European scenes. It is
impossible to determine if these photographs of scenery and artwork were taken
while the Glessners themselves were present, or whether the family purchased
memorabilia of the sites they had seen after their excursions. It is evident
however, that a large number of the photos in the albums correlate with the
places and artwork the Glessners recorded seeing in the journal, specifically
within the cities of Paris, Rome, Naples, and Florence.
Their trip began and ended with time spent
in Paris, allowing for thorough exploration of the city and its treasures. John
Glessner was immensely fond of the Louvre Museum, visiting several times during
his Parisian experience. On the family’s first visit on February 24, Frances
Glessner remarked “the Venus [of Milo] is larger than we had expected, &
most beautiful from every view.”
Photo of the Venus de Milo at the Louvre, Paris,
France
The Glessners, having always had a great
appreciation for the arts, were especially impressed by the famous works of the
great masters they were able to view in person. The search for artistic
masterpieces continued in Rome at the
Vatican Museum and Chapel and in Florence. John Glessner was particularly
captivated by the Apollo Belvidere, calling it a “gem” in comparison to other
great artistic feats. The works of Michelangelo, Raphael, and Titian (among
others) dominate portions of the photo albums and the Glessners’ fine art
itinerary.
A sizable number of the photographs were
captured by none other than Giorgio Sommer (1834-1914). Sommer was one of the
most famous and popular European photographers in the nineteenth century, along
with his partner Edmund Behles. Born in modern-day Germany, he began his
photographic career in Switzerland but eventually moved to Naples in 1856 where
he produced his most famous images.
Photo by G. Sommer – self-portrait with son
Edmondo, 1864
http://www.luminous-lint.com/app/image/7765027537460006401236958/,
Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31832818
He became known for recording important
ruins and artifacts, such as those at Pompeii and within the Vatican and
National Archeological Museum at Naples. He even managed to capture the
eruption of Mount Vesuvius in April 1872 but this image is not part of the
Glessners’ collection.
Photo by G. Sommer of the ruins of Pompeii
About 25 of the photos (of which there are over 200
spanning the four total albums) are of the magnificent glaciers and quaint
villages found along the Swiss Alps. These were likely taken by Sommer in the
early years of his career, before establishing himself in Naples. While the
Glessners did not travel to the Alpine region, one of their traveling
companions, Violette Scharff (paid companion to their daughter Fanny), rejoined
her mother in Lucerne, Switzerland after leaving the family in Paris. Letters
between the two mothers detail the affection Frances Glessner held for Miss
Scharff and how she must have enjoyed spending time traveling through Italy
with the family. At the encouragement of her mother, Miss Scharff extended her
stay with the Glessners until after sharing Easter mass with them at the Notre
Dame de Paris. She was often referred to as having the superior French among
the group and was an asset as well as desirable company.
Photo by G. Sommer of Lucerne, Switzerland
The handful of snapshots of London, Bedford and Warwickshire were most
likely from R. Burnham Moffat, a young attorney from Brooklyn whom the Glessners
befriended during their voyage across the Atlantic (and possibly presented to Fanny
Glessner on her 12th birthday celebrated in Rome). It is also interesting to note the photograph of
a sketch of the Blue Grotto of Capri, quite similar to a watercolor print of the
same scene Fanny had given to her father as a birthday gift in 1885.
Frances Glessner never mentions collecting
photograph panels to create an album nor does she comment on them being a gift
or delivery. The accumulation of the photos is unfortunately, mostly
speculation. Likely the albums grew over time and various picture collections
and gifts were merged to create these four books. However, as these albums came
to be assembled they certainly preserved many of the Glessner family’s fond
memories of adventure and European travel.
About the Author
Cecilia Ringo is a History and Women,
Gender and Sexuality double major at Kalamazoo College in Michigan. She has
enjoyed being a collections intern at Glessner House Museum during the Winter
of 2018 and hopes to pursue a career in preservation, archival science or
museum management. She also recently returned from a study abroad program that
allowed her to delight in visiting many of the Glessners’ European
destinations.