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"The Home of the Brownings"

 Collection
Identifier: W-0092

Scope and Contents

Alabama author Octavia Walton Le Vert wrote and used this twenty-three page manuscript on her lecture tours. Written after the Civil War, "The Home of the Brownings" describes Le Vert's 1885 visit to the Casa Guidi, the Italian home of poets Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning.

Dates

  • circa 1870

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

none

Biographical / Historical

Author and socialite Octavia Walton Le Vert was born at her grandparents' plantation near Augusta, Georgia, on August 11, 1810. In 1821, her father accepted an appointment to serve as the territorial secretary of Florida, and the family relocated to Pensacola. After the appointment ended, the family moved to Mobile, Alabama, in 1834. In 1836, Octavia married Dr. Henry Strachey Le Vert. The couple had four daughters. Le Vert was a respected member of Mobile's social elite, hosting parties and contributing to the city's literary, artistic, and social organizations. In the 1850s, Le Vert made two trips to Europe, first visiting England, Spain, and Italy in 1853 with her family. She returned in 1855, visiting the Paris Exposition representing Alabama as a state commissioner. In 1857, she published Souvenirs of Travel, an account of her European travels. Upon her return to Mobile, Le Vert became actively involved in the campaign to purchase and restore Mount Vernon. After her husband's death in 1865, Le Vert left Mobile and returned to her family home in Augusta. After losing much of her fortune, Le Vert worked as a traveling lecturer in the 1870s. She died in Augusta on March 12, 1877.

Source: Encyclopedia of Alabama.

Extent

0.05 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Overview

Handwritten notes Octavia Walton Le Vert used during her lecture, "Home of the Brownings," which described her 1855 visit to the home of Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning.

Physical Location

A. S. Williams III Americana Collection, Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library, The University of Alabama

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of A. S. Williams III, 2010

Processing Information

Processed by Haley Aaron, 2013

Source

Creator

Title
Guide to "The Home of the Brownings"
Status
Completed
Date
February 2014
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the The University of Alabama Libraries Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Box 870266
Tuscaloosa AL 35487-0266
205.348.0513