Walking in Florence: Genres of Knowledge in the Italian Journals of Susan Horner 1847–1848 and 1861–1862

Abstract

This paper examines two scrapbooks by Susan Horner (1816-1900), written during her Italian stays of 1847-1848 and 1861-1862 and now preserved at the British Institute of Florence. Through the analysis of journals, albums, and collected materials assembled during travel, the study explores the role of these textual forms in the production and transmission of knowledge. The manuscripts document the experience of Florence during the Risorgimento through a variety of media and practices, combining written observations, drawings, photographs, newspaper cuttings, and memorabilia. Together, these materials reveal a mode of knowledge grounded in mobility, direct observation, and the gathering of heterogeneous evidence. Focusing on art, archaeology, politics, print culture, and the embodied experience of travel, the paper shows how Florence was perceived as a historical and cultural palimpsest. The manuscripts thus provide valuable insight into the ways nineteenth-century British women travellers developed original forms of knowledge production and cultural mediation.