| Surname | Odier | ||
| First Name | Louis | ||
| Gender | male | ||
| Place of birth | Geneva | ||
| Place of death | Geneva | ||
| Year of birth | 1748 | ||
| Year of death | 1817 | ||
| Profession | Doctor, professor | ||
| Religion | Protestant | ||
| Place(s) of activity | Geneva, London, Edinburgh | ||
| Century | 18 | ||
| Biographical information | Son of the merchant Antoine de Villes and his wife, Lise. In 1773 he married Suzanne, the daughter of Jean-Louis Baux (also a merchant). After his wife died in 1778 he married Andrienne, the daughter of Pastor Gédéon Lecointe. From 1767 he studied medicine in London and Edinburgh. He returned to Geneva in 1773 where he was received as a doctor. He also taught medicine as an Honorary Professor from 1799 to 1817. During this time he wrote several important publications including a study of the process of vaccination in continental Europe. As a politician he became a member of the Grand Council in 1788 and served on the Representative Council from 1814 until his death. | ||
| Title | (1) Journal. N° 2. L. Odier. Etudiant en Philosophie. Ce 18e May. 1767. (2) Journal de Louis Odier Cytoyen de Genève. | ||
| Genre / Art |
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| Additional genre details | |||
| Period writen | 18 May 1767 - 26 August 1769 | ||
| Period covered | 18 May 1767 - 26 August 1769 | ||
| Format / Language | Autograph, French | ||
| Physical description | Two notebooks, the first: 11 x 16.5 cm, 192 p. written and numbered on 360, cover with cardboard flowers. The second: 16 x 22 cm, 78 p., Floral cover, soft |
| Content |
These two handwritten notebooks recount two years of Louis Odier's student life. They include his stays in Paris and London. The first volume (which he entitled "N ° 2" despite it coming first chronologically) was written while he was still in Geneva. It ends in August 1767 as he learns of his impending departure for Edinburgh. The content is organised under different headings as specified on the first page (Vita, Daily Activities, Events, Remarkable Events of the Day, Tempus, and Daily Meteorology). The second volume (less structured than the first) starts on August 31, 1767. This was when Louis Odier left for Paris with a certain Monsieur Voullaire. He describes the towns through which they pass, as well as the little misfortunes that come their way such as a painful night spent in Pontarlier on a bed full of fleas and bugs. His Parisian stay is mainly cultural: he admires works of art at the Louvre and is entertained at the Opera and the Comedie. Leaving Paris on September 25, Louis arrived two days later in London where he continued his studies. In a general way the writer often mentions his daily habits: morning cleaning; lunch and dinner; writing his diary and letters; studies and reading; and violin practice. He also refers to his growing network of acquaintances in both London and Paris. The diary is kept daily with some interruptions in the second volume – for which the writer apologizes and attributes to his own laziness. (The diary was kept from September 27, 1767 to January 1, 1768; and from April 30 to October 18, 1768. On November 7, 1768 it stops again for six months. It's taken up again on May 14 and 15, 1769 and on August 26, 1769. This last date marks the end of the second volume.) |
| Place of deposit | BGE |
| Classification | Ms. fr. 5643 |
| Document | |
| Transcription | |
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| Secondary litterature |
Lejeune Philippe, Louis Odier : de la chronique à la confession, Aux origines du journal personnel, work in progress. |
| Other sources | In his diary, Louis Odier often refers the reader to letters that he has copied into four notebooks. See Ms. fr. 5642 |
| Related documents | |
| Author | FF |
