Monthly Archives: September 2011

Baron Munchausen

Posted on September 30, 2011 by mercedes-c

Reading Francis Douce’s correspondence sometimes feels like playing six degrees of separation. Douce, for instance, knew Twiss, whose friend Alexander Jardine corresponded with Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos, one of Goya’s patrons. Twiss’s letters are a particularly rich source of information … Continue reading →

Posted in History of printmaking, Letters, Satirical prints | Comments Off on Baron Munchausen

Hungry caterpillars

Posted on September 19, 2011 by mercedes-c

Since 1788, Francis Douce kept a lively correspondence with the travel writer Richard Twiss (1747-1821). A typical letter from Twiss, as Douce explained to his friend George Cumberland years later, would be like ‘an omnibus on twenty or more subjects’, … Continue reading →

Posted in Collections and Collectors, Letters, Natural history | Comments Off on Hungry caterpillars

Magic and music

Posted on September 14, 2011 by mercedes-c

Music is a subject often mentioned in Francis Douce’s correspondence. He was a keen amateur, interested in both contemporary music and the technical development of musical instruments throughout the centuries. A vast amount of images of different types of drums, … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Witchcraft | Comments Off on Magic and music