The Grand Tour was the traditional trip around Europe, often lasting three to four years, undertaken by the wealthy upper-class English during the 16th and 17th century. Their prime interest was to visit cities that were considered major centres of culture; Paris, Rome, Venice, Florence and Naples were popular destinations.

During the 18th and 19th century, the opportunity to take the “Grand Tour” spread from the aristocracy to the new industrial and professional elites, tourist destinations such as Rome shifted their attention from the privileged class to meeting the travel needs of the monied middle-class, including a healthy souvenir trade.

Souvenir engravings of tourist attractions began to appear everywhere. In addition to albums of engraved views, “the Grand Tour offered another very popular type of travel souvenir, the now nearly forgotten cameos. The taste for these engraved antique gems was revived as part of the classical revival and later reproduced as miniature plaster casts. Mounted in faux book bindings, these plaster cameos provided a minutely detailed cabinet of neoclassical knowledge and art. (Princeton University).

Here you see an example of these plaster cast cameos/intaglios; an early 19th century collection of plaster cast impressions by Pietro Paoletti in twelve leather bound volumes, each stamped in gold lettering on the spine Paoletti Impronte, and individually beneath Opere di vari Auttori, Museo Capitolino, Museo di Firenze e Parigi, Museo di Napoli, Villa Albani e Sommariva, Museo Sommariva, Museo Vaticano, Opere di Canova, Opere di Gibson e Opere di Thorwaldsen. Each volume hand inscribed on the interior with details of its contents. This particular set is housed in a purpose made mahogany case with sliding lid.

THE FIRESTONE ROMAN COLLECTION, including “Greek imperials” . Over 5,800 coins: 650 of the Roman Republic, mostly silver; over 5,200 of the Roman Empire, mostly silver and bronze, to Anastasius (ca.35 BCE-491 CE). Contents of the Firestone Princeton collection from the Republic through Commodus (ca.2,000 coins) have been published by B. Levy and P.C.V. Bastien, Roman Coins in the Princeton University Library I (Wetteren, 1985). There are notable holdings in the coinage of Roman Corinth, the 1976 gift of Prof. and Mrs. T. Leslie Shear, Jr.; about 100 of these are recorded in M.Amandry, Le monnayage des duovirs corinthiens (Paris, 1988).

With the Greek and Roman coins should be mentioned two associated holdings: (1) The foundation piece of Princeton’s collection, a group of over 5,000 plaster casts of classical coins, bought by friends and alumni of the institution in 1849, and still in their original wooden trays. (2) Twelve cased volumes of impronte, i.e. plaster casts of classical (and modern) intaglio gems, made up by the Roman firm of Paoletti, active in the 18th and 19th centuries.