Works

Buoyed by the rapid sale of her Anecdotes and Letters, Hester Piozzi spent 1788–89 expanding her Continental journals into the substantial two-volume travel narrative Observations and Reflections Made in the Course of a Journey through France, Italy, and Germany. Published in June 1789 by Thomas Cadell and Andrew Strahan, the work blends sharp social commentary, vivid descriptions of art and manners, and unapologetic personal opinion in a style that is by turns witty, learned and provocatively candid.

Highlights include her lively accounts of Venetian gondolas and Roman Carnival; her amused disdain for French formality and German heaviness; her enthusiastic praise of Italian music and painting; and several bold passages defending women’s intellectual freedom and criticising national prejudices. Reviewers admired the book’s energy and originality, though conservative critics recoiled at its occasional irreverence and “unfeminine” self-assurance.

The Observations sold briskly—three editions appeared within the year—and cemented Piozzi’s reputation as one of the most engaging British travel writers of the late eighteenth century.