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Publicatie

Feeling at home abroad: comfort, domesticity and social display on the Netherlandish Grand Tour, 1585-1815

Boekbijdrage - Hoofdstuk

How did early modern travellers create a makeshift home, when they visited Rome, Paris, London, or another foreign metropolis? Which level of comfort did they expect? How important were luxurious apartments, furniture, food, and servants in fostering a feeling of domesticity? In the past, the material life on the Grand Tour has often been examined through a lens of luxuriousness and conspicuous consumption. This leads to a cliché-ridden image of young British noblemen, who, literally, spend fortunes on hotel rooms, exquisite meals, rare wines, expensive clothes, and a train of servants. Yet, other dimensions of this material culture remain virtually unexplored. Did home comforts serve, for instance, as an antidote against home sickness and other undesirable feelings? Where they an admission ticket to blend smoothly into local society life? In this paper, a range of Flemish and Dutch travel journals, personal letters, bills, receipt books, and other sources will be broached to provide perspective and to answer some questions. How important was material and emotional comfort for early modern travellers?
Boek: The Comforts of Home in Western Europe, 1700-1900 / Stobart, J. [edit.]
Pagina's: 160 - 180
ISBN:978-1-350-09297-6
Jaar van publicatie:2020
Trefwoorden:H1 Book chapter
BOF-keylabel:ja
Toegankelijkheid:Closed