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MR. KING : 1889 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT TRAVEL JOURNAL OF ONE ENGAGING ENGLISHMAN'S TRIP TO THE PARIS EXPO DOING AN IN DEPTH TOUR OF LA TOUR EIFFEL AND HIS INTRODUCTION TO SOME OF EUROPE'S NOTABLES

16mo - over 5¾" - 6¾" tall. On offer is wonderful original manuscript travelogue handwritten by an Englishman who along with seven companions heads to the 1889 Paris Exhibition, the World's Fair that introduced the magnificent Eiffel Tower for the very first time. On his trip the author, Mr. King, meets the creator of the tower Gustave Eiffel as well as Joseph Chamberlain, one of the most important politicians, orators, and reformers in English history. As the diary begins on June 14th, Mr. King and 7 others make their way by horse drawn carriage from the Victoria district of London to Newhaven on the southern shore. The very first page contains a stunning drawing of the Eiffel Tower, expertly drawn in red ink. As the diary begins, on June 14th, Mr. King and a party of seven others, make their way by horse drawn carriage from the Victoria district of London to Newhaven, on the southern English shore. "-June 14th- We were a party of 8 who took return tickets for the PARIS EXHIBITION of '89." They then cross the English Chanel on the SS Rouen. Mr. King shows a talent for descriptive and funny writing here. 'when H.Y. arrived on the boat he was very much troubled with his old complaint viz hunger & it wasn't long before he was licking into cold roast beef & fat pork, pickles & anything he could lay his hands on in the cabin, this little freak of his cost 2/- & a terrible nightmare, in which he found himself…griping with grim death.' On arriving in Dieppe, France and encountering a 'partially asleep' customs officer, they take a walk around the old town of Dieppe. 'We walked all round the Cathedral & never did H.Y. remember anything so picturesque.' They then take a train to Paris. Mr. King draws one cart of this train, again with beautiful detail and skill. In Paris, the group stays in the Rue Pergolese, in the 16th arrondissement. Mr. King draws the layout of the apartment in Rue Pergolese, in full architectural detail. It would not be surprising if Mr. King were an architect, as his drawing of the layout is remarkable. Each room, bed, closet, and doorway is noted and drawn on this page. Soon after they enter the main grounds of the Exhibition, the party of 8 goes about 'looking at the different Oriental styles of architecture which were to be seen on the houses that thickly covered the grounds.' Soon after the Prince and Princess of Wales accompanied by young princes and princesses pass the group as they are walking through the gardens. On the self-same day, Mr. King and his party meet Joseph (referred to as 'Joey') Chamberlain and his new wife. They then head back to their flat in the afternoon, and Mr. King is introduced to a "Mr. Jed Cole (trunk maker, Covent Garden) a quiet looking chap, having an appearance of 'rowdy ' disposition." Mr. King draws a little portrait of Jed Cole in the corner of the page. Another day, the group goes to the exhibition and climbs the famous Eiffel Tower. As they are climbing up, they meet the creator of the tower, Gustave Eiffel, "the designer of this tower of Babel, looking from the summit on the people below which is a height of 1000 feet, they looked to us like a lot of ants crawling about." Much of the rest of the exhibition visit is spent remarking on the various attractions with which they entertained themselves, though the writer finds much about the exhibition to vividly complain about, including the price of food and the unimpressive fountains. Mr. King is most impressed with the international aspect of the exhibition, remarking on the Indian, Turkish, and Egyptian sections, as well as the "negroes" and "natives" displayed. The Paris Exhibition did have a "negro village," which displayed 400 indigenous people, as a major attraction. They are even taken around the grounds by a 'Chinese carriage.' King draws the carriage. Mr. King and his party do not stay just at the exhibition. They travel to Versailles, where Mr. King remarks that the "lake scenery to my mind is perfect landscape gardening & impacts a very please picture to the eye.' They are shown around the grounds by 'a very talkative guide who was very fond of using the word 'doughfin' & when C.O.K. asked him who the dauphin was, replied, 'he was the grandson of the Emperor & corresponds to your English Prince of Wales,' amidst waves of laughter." King and the party go and see the famous actress Sarah Bernhardt, but nothing about the play or her acting is noted. Mr. King is quite fond of an excursion to view dead bodies fished from the Seine River. "This is a kind of large fishmongers shop where the dead bodies of those found in the Seine are placed, they are laid on an inclined slab of slate so that the water drains off. We saw two bodies there, there was a large crowd of people viewing these bodies & I have heard say that French women hold their babies up to see them. There are also plenty of instances of flirting with local Parisian women. King has particular delight with the way his friend pronounces "bonjour monsieur" as "Bong Shoir Monsoo" and eventually refers to it as "B.S.M." King is obviously a very jovial Englishman with a strong sense of human. After a trip to the Louvre, in which King writes, 'amongst the famous things that took our fancy was Venus a Milo & the Gladiator, there was a gigantic collection of pictures by the old masters & after a hearty dinner, (by the way you will kindly notice that we always enjoyed our meals) H.Y. left for home & the others for the 'bon marché'. All throughout the trip, there is much written about the food and drink had: "there is no mistake about it, we did go in for some fine dinners." Mr. King notes each meal of the day, often describing what food and drink were consumed and where. Mr. King and his party return to England the way they came. They take a train to Dieppe, and then a ship. The book is in octavo format, with a faded spine, and marbled endpapers. As noted, the journal has small, but very accomplished drawings of sights seen, including the horse drawn carriage, the Eiffel Tower, a detailed plan of the layout of the flat at Rue Pergolese and the train at Dieppe. Overall VG. .. Manuscript. Book Condition: Good+

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