Lizzie Borden's Grand Tour (1890) There is no shortage of evidence as to how much Lizzie enjoyed her visit to the British Isles, as is apparent when flipping the pages of the first volume of her travel albums. In Ireland, she viewed the breathtaking vistas of the countryside, with its lush shades of green, and visited the Ross and Blarney castles, among others in Killarney, as well as Muckross Abbey, a magnificent fifteenth-century structure. Then there was the Gap of Dunloe, the upper lake, seen from Kenmare, and the Old Weir and Cromwell’s bridges; in one shop, she spied a picture of a dog with charming little puppies, a must-have for her collection of photographs. These were but a few of the places she visited during her stay in the Emerald Isle. Next, Lizzie was off to Scotland, where she stood “on the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond,” overlooking the shimmering reflections on the waters of the largest lake in Great Britain. Highlands Castle was a must see, as were so many other places in the land of Sir Walter Scott. Perhaps her affinity for all things Scottish manifested itself during the time she spent in that country. England must have been especially rewarding for her as she breathed the air of the birthplace of some of her favorite authors, visiting Stratford-upon-Avon, the birth and burial place of William Shakespeare, and the ancestral home of his wife, Anne Hathaway, which, remarkably, was still in her family’s hands at the time. Days were spent surrounded by the magnificent scenery of the mountainous Lake District in Northwest England; in Cumbria, she enjoyed the beauty of Derwent Water, Crummock Water, and Ullswater, the last being that country’s second largest lake. At Canterbury in Kent, she toured Canterbury Castle, a ruined Norman structure, and in Oxford, she visited the Radcliffe Library, which housed the principle scientific works in the collection of Oxford University. In Warwickshire, there were the stately Warwick and Kenilworth castles to see, and then there was Leicester, Windsor Castle, and Wales, where she saw yet another castle, Hawarden. Each locale introduced Lizzie to an entirely different world than that to which she was accustomed, such as Scheveningen, with its massive, luxurious resort hotel, Kurhaus, in Holland, or the bustling city of Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands. Several points of interest in Germany were also a part of the tour, including Heidelberg Castle and the “Little Goose-Man Fountain,” located in Nuremberg. Next, a stop at Cologne to view the cathedral, and then on to Munich, to see the massive statue of Bavaria, commissioned by King Ludwig I, and take a trip through that city’s bustling market place. In Austria, the views from Innsbruck were stunning. While in Switzerland, Lizzie was surrounded by snowcapped alpine panoramas as she traveled up the Gotthard Pass. On the agenda were visits to the famous Clock Tower in Bern, Interlaken in the Jungfrau Region, and Lake Lugano, with its crystal clear waters. And who could forget the trip through the high mountain Grimsell Pass or to the Rhone Glacier. In all, Lizzie assembled fifty-two pages for her first album, which she ended with a selection of images of art treasures that she had viewed in various galleries and museums, paintings and sculpture of which she was particularly fond. She began the second of her Grand Tour albums with photographs of her sojourn in Italy, long a favorite destination for travelers. Opening the cover, one was confronted by a full-page print of St. John the Baptist, a sixteenth-century masterpiece by Andrea del Sarto; she had seen the original, rendered in oil on panel, when she toured the Pitti Gallery in Florence. The impressive Milan Cathedral, much beloved by Mark Twain who sung its praises in The Innocents Abroad, drove Lizzie to that work to select a passage to accompany one of her photographs of that monumental structure: "It seems in the soft moonlight only a fairy delusion of frostwork that might vanish with a breath! It was a vision! a miracle! an anthem sung in stone, a poem wrought in marble!" In Venice, it appears that Lizzie took a leisurely stroll in the Piazza San Marco, and rode in a gondola down the Grand Canal, “the avenue the pride of the Venetians [that] has no parallel in any city.” One could not visit that wonder of a city without seeing the monumental St. Mark’s Basilica or the Church of Santa Maria della Salute, the “spacious and handsome dome-covered church at the east extremity of the Grand Canal.” Enamored by the countless works of art to which she had been exposed in Italy, she purchased a number of photographic reproductions, especially at the Pitti and Accademia galleries in Florence; Michaelangelo’s David had been exhibited in the latter since 1873. The story of the magnificent sculpture she recorded as follows: A young and unknown sculptor Passing by with thoughtful brow Saw the stone and said an ‘An angel Hides within it even now.’ ‘Take the stone and free the angel,’ Said the rulers, half in scorn Many a day the artist labored Until one fair summer morn. Rome, so rich in art and history, was, for Lizzie, a marvel beyond belief, and is likely what prompted her to acquire more photographs there than she had in any other European city. From St. Peter’s Basilica to the eerie Catacombs of the Cappucini Monks, the Vatican Museum to the Castel St. Angelo, the Arch of Constantine to the Tarpeian Rock, from the Forum to the Coliseum, all of these wonderful sites created a whirlwind, with one fascinating attraction after another. Lizzie, in the true spirit of a tourist in Rome, surely followed tradition when visiting the Trevi Fountain, standing with her back to the eighty-five-foot-high by sixty-five-foot-wide sculpture and tossing a coin over her shoulder to ensure her return to The Eternal City. Next, there was France, where the views from Menton were lovely; the town was rapidly becoming a popular tourist attraction, with its grand hotels, villas, and palaces overlooking the sea. Lizzie likely had never seen a blue so vivid and other-worldly as she did when on the Côte d’Azur, where the waters of the Mediterranean possessed a rich hue peculiar to the area. Nice and Monte Carlo, with their luscious gardens, swaying palms, and stately seaside villas, were two other sites on the agenda sure to appeal to her sense of beauty. Paris followed, where she made her way down “L’Avenue des Champs-Elysées … one of the most fashionable promenades in Paris,” with its exclusive emporiums displaying the finest in luxury goods. One particular structure in that city that impressed her exceedingly was the Grand Opera House; as a souvenir, she purchased four photographs of its exterior and interior. Then, on to the Tuileries, the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, and, inevitably, to the magasins that beckoned to the travelers, luring them in to purchase mementos of their journey. And, of course, one had to spend time in the Louvre! As Lizzie and her companions were scheduled to depart from Liverpool, the last days of their tour were spent in London, where they engaged in making some last minute purchases, especially on Regent Street, “one of the handsomest streets in the world with its fine shops and broad sidewalks.” Sadly, the adventure of four months duration was drawing to a close, but there was still time to visit many attractions in the British capital, including Westminster Abbey, The Tower of London, Traitor’s Gate, and the imposing St. Paul’s Cathedral on Ludgate Hill. The fact that Lizzie enjoyed her trip to Europe is evidenced by the time and care invested in preparing her travel albums, preserving memories of the sites visited between their covers, as well as by the mementos she purchased; “photographs secured in foreign travel” were also prominently displayed in her bedroom at 92 Second Street. Clearly, her European sojourn had brought her much pleasure. From: Parallel Lives: A Social History of Lizzie A. Borden and Her Fall River, by Michael Martins and Dennis A. Binette, Fall River Historical Society Press. https://fallriverhistorical.org/product/book-frhs-press-parallel-lives/ (fb)

Hortencia Ribeiro She’s ninety-eight years old, and despite her diminutive size has a memory like an elephant. Mrs. Manuel Amaral, born Hortencia “Ester” Ribeiro during President Woodrow Wilson’s administration, was the first person interviewed for a study called Women at Work: An Oral History of Working Class Women in Fall River 1920 – 1970. Some excerpts: “When the teacher called me Hortencia at the Mount Hope School,” remembered Amaral, “I wouldn’t answer; I said that’s not my name.” At home, she was known only as Esther to her parents and four siblings. “I still haven’t forgiven my parents for that first name,” laughed Amaral. Before retiring in 1978, Amaral worked for eight different companies in and around Fall River including: Center Garment, Firestone, Gamma Leather, Lynn Sportswear, Maplewood Yarn, Raytheon, and United Rayon. “I started at the Bourne Mill off Shove Street when I was 15 years old,” said Amaral. Amaral remembers her mother putting money away every week to be able to pay the $45 for a ton of coal that would have to last all winter. She recalls her father digging clams, quahogs, and periwinkles off Bay Street to supplement the family’s meager depression era diet. “That’s probably why I still love seafood even today,” said Amaral wryly. When Ester was a little girl, the family lived in the Bourne Mill Blocks. “I always wanted to help my mother cook,” said Amaral, “but she was a little chubby and the kitchen was so small we both couldn’t fit at the same time.” Like most families of that era, Esther and her three brothers and one sister handed over their wage packets directly to their father on payday. But just once Esther defied the system. “My mother had only these old housedresses and I promised her that when I started work at the Bourne Mill I would give her my first pay so she could buy a nice new dress,” said Amaral. “When my father asked if I was going to give him my pay I said, ‘No, I promised it to momma so she could buy a new dress,’” remembered Amaral. “And I kept my promise.” According to Amaral her mother bought her new dress and her father said no more about it. Funded by a $5,000 grant from Mass Humanities, Women at Work is the brainchild of Fall River Historical Society (FRHS) member Joyce B. Rodrigues, who spearheaded the application process. Mrs. Amaral’s interview was conducted and recorded by Ms. Rodrigues at the Society’s headquarters at 451 Rock Street, Fall River, on November 12, 2014. The study will document the lives of women who worked in Fall River’s textile mills during the period of decline and made the transition to the needle-trades, or who began careers in the city’s garment industry during the early years of its establishment. Mrs. Amaral’s recorded interview lays the cornerstone for an important archive of primary source material for the benefit of present and future generations. An archive of pertinent family papers and photographs will also be established for each interviewee, providing an important visual aid and furnishing material for exhibition and publication. Interviewers and consultants on the project include the FRHS curators, humanities scholars, educators, and others, all of whom have a keen interest in the multi-faceted goals of the project. Note: Hortencia’s interview, together with those of nine of her contemporaries, can be seen in the online exhibit Women at Work: An Oral History of Working Class Women in Fall River, Massachusetts – 1920-1970, viewable on the Fall River Historical Society’s website, fallriverhistorical.org. The profusely illustrated 412-page companion volume, published by the Fall River Historical Society Press in 2017, is also available. November 16, 2014 Fall River, Massachusetts Addendum: According to her obituary, published in the Fall River Herald News, on October 25, 2017, Hortencia Amaral “... died peacefully at home in her sleep on October 22, 2017.” Hortencia was 101 years old. From "Granite, Grit, and Grace: An Exploration of the Fascinating Side Streets of Fall River's History," by William A. Moniz, Fall River Historical Society Press, 2017. To purchase online at our shop: https://fallriverhistorical.org/product/book-frhs-press-granite-grit-and-grace/ (fb)