Irene Dobbs' European Travel Diary, 1952

From March 7th to May 8th, 1952, John Wesley Dobbs and his wife Irene traveled throughout Europe.  It was the couple’s first trip to the continent.  Irene Dobbs’ travel diary records their experiences as they toured France, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, Holland, and England.  

In France, they met their daughter, Mattiwilda, who was living overseas pursuing her career as a coloratura soprano.  Mattiwilda traveled with her parents during the two-month journey, parting occasionally for performances.  For two weeks, John Wesley Dobbs, left Irene and Mattiwilda in Sorrento, Italy, while he traveled on his own visiting Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, and Egypt.

March 6, 1952
The Dobbs boarded the Queen Elizabeth in New York City directly after attending a N.A.A.C.P. meeting at Madison Square Garden and Irene began writing in her diary before the boat set sail at midnight.  She gave a detailed description of the “wonderful boat,” their accommodations, activities, and the food.

Click on the pages above to read Irene Dobbs' first entry

Irene Dobbs aboard the Queen Elizabeth

Posted by Kristin E. Wanek
(Images from the John Wesley Dobbs Family papers. May not be reproduced without permission.)