This unremarkable paper manuscript in a green cardboard cover contains various excerpts selected by Johann Conrad Fischer (1773-1854) himself from his Austrian travel journals. Here the entrepreneur and metallurgist Fischer from Schaffhausen describes his encounters with Archduke John of Austria (1782-1859), which took place between 4 February 1826 [p. 1] and 25 June 1842 [p. 125]. The travel journals themselves, from which these excepts were taken, have not survived. After Archduke John had read Johann Fischer's English travel journals, he wished to get to know the author personally and sent Johann Conrad Fischer an invitation through Fischer's son [p. 3]. After the first meeting in February 1826, six more meetings occurred in the space of five years: 13 September 1826 [p. 15], 24. June 1827 [p. 21], 5 October 1828 [p. 50], 17 September 1829 [p. 58], 18 September 1829 [p. 77] and 17 September 1830 [p. 87]. After a hiatus of ten years, there were three last meetings: 25 June 1840 [p. 101], 24 June 1842 [p. 124] and 25 June 1842 [p. 125]. On 136 pages Fischer essentially recaps the conversations between the two men. These accounts allow us to understand Fischer's commercial interests and his activities in Austria. The content of the conversations as well as the circumstances of his visits afford us a glimpse of their common world in the context of the tensions between Switzerland and Austria, between old political orders and economic modernization. The entries are in chronological order and are followed by fourteen blank pages at the end. The page numbering is from when the album was created. The little book was discovered by accident in a farmhouse in Löhningen (SH) in October 2019. Today it is held in the company archives of the Georg Fischer AG in Schaffhausen (egg)

Online Since: 12/12/2019