In 1877, when former President Ulysses S. Grant and his wife, Julia Grant, left the United States by steamship, they believed that they were embarking on a nice quiet holiday in Europe. Almost immediately, though, the Grants were in high demand for social events, speeches, dinners, and a variety of other events hosted by some of the most important people in Europe, North Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Their three-year World Tour is chronicled in these photographs of their royal hosts (Queen Victoria, Otto von Bismarck, the Khedive of Egypt, and Meiji, the Emperor of Japan) acquired by Julia Grant during and after the trip. When possible the images have been identified. A number of the images have notes written by Julia Grant either identifying the individual by name or recording Julia’s impressions of the individual. Also in this collection is a set of biographical notes on the individuals in the images, noting particularly their interactions with the Grants. The photograph album was donated to the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library by Ulysses Grant Dietz, the great-great-grandson of President Grant.
