Series: Benjamin H. Latrobe Journals, 1796-1801, 1806, 1816, 1818-1820

Journals

The Journals series is comprised of 23 journals. They contain Latrobe's descriptions and views of politics, society, manners, art, natural science, geology, and geography written primarily during his residence in Virginia, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and News Orleans. Among the journals are two field books written between August and November 1801 when Latrobe was one of the commissioners of the Susquehanna River Survey.

There are several historically missing journals. For the Virginia years seven of sixteen journals and one of two known journal appendixes are missing. For the period 1818-1820 one of eight journals is missing.

Letterbooks

The Letterbooks series is comprised of 19 bound volumes, written between 1803 September and 1817 December. They contain approximately 5,700 letters written by Latrobe with a polygraph, a copying device he obtained from Charles Willson Peale. Among the noteworthy figures he addressed are Aaron Burr, Henry Clay, Archbishop John Carroll, Robert Fulton, Albert Gallatin, Robert Goodloe Harper, Thomas Jefferson, Nathaniel Macon, James Madison, Dolley Madison, James Monroe, Charles Willson Peale, and William Loughton Smith.

The sequence of letters follows an approximate chronological order. However, Latrobe frequently misdated his letters, especially at the beginning of each year. For example several of the 1806 letterbooks are mistakenly dated 1805. The majority of the letterbook items are exact copies of originals sent to the designated recipient. Some of the letters, though, were probably never sent and others are draft copies which were revised before mailing.