Souvenirs of Travel by Octavia Walton Le Vert

Souvenirs of Travel by Octavia Walton Le Vert

Octavia Walton Le Vert

1811-1877

Octavia Walton Le Vert, born and raised in Georgia, possessed a remarkable intellect and a passion for languages. Her travels and encounters with influential figures shaped her journey as a writer. Inspired by her meeting with Washington Irving, Le Vert began documenting her experiences in a journal. She emerged in Washington, D.C., as a social debutante and engaged in political discussions while forming connections with prominent individuals like Sen. Henry Clay. Settling in Mobile, Alabama, she married a local doctor and became a prominent hostess, fostering relationships with literary and theatrical personalities. Le Vert's European trips in the 1850s inspired her to publish Souvenirs of Travel in 1857, compiling her letters and journal entries. Despite her opposition to Alabama's secession, Le Vert remained in Mobile throughout the Civil War, experiencing isolation from society due to her associations with Union officers. After the war, she ventured north before ultimately settling in Georgia, where she spent her remaining years and pursued public lecturing. Le Vert passed away at Belle Vue in 1877.

Alabama Authors of the 19th & 20th Centuries, edited by Beverley Park Rilett, http://AlabamaAuthors.org

1857

Souvenirs of Travel. New York; S.H. Goetzel and Co., 1857.

AL Book Collection

Le Vert, Octavia Walton, “Souvenirs of Travel by Octavia Walton Le Vert,” Alabama Authors of the 19th & 20th Centuries, accessed October 5, 2024, https://alabamaauthors.org/items/show/8583.