Norman Scarfe

Innocent Espionage - The La Rochefoucauld Brothers` Tour of England in 1785 Norman Scarfe

Looking at England in the early months of 1785, covering 20 or even 30 miles a day and making detailed and intelligent notes at night, the two brothers, Francois and Alexandre, and their tutor, saw landscapes still visible today; but the world of the momentous industrial revolution and optimism that, as patriots, they envied, is one we can only envy them for knowing and admire them for recording. Making good use of their time, the group travelled along rutted roads from inn to inn, visiting factories, plunging down mines, exploring dockyards and cathedrals. One is glad that both boys survived the Revolution, but even more remarkable is the survival of their manuscripts, here presented with such scholarship and joy by Norman Scarfe.