Pfeiffer, Ida (1797-1858)
Brief Biography:
Ida Pfeiffer was born Ida Reyer in Vienna, Austria in 1797. She had five brothers and was raised like the boys by her father. When she was twenty-two years old, she married a high-ranking official in Vienna; they had two sons. After her husband lost his job, she was forced to give piano and drawing lessons to help support the family. Her brothers helped pay for their son's education. In 1835, she separated from her husband, and by 1842 felt herself free to pursue travels she had dreamed about since a youth. Her first trip was to the Holy Land, and sales from the resulting travel diaries encouraged her to take other trips. She traveled to Iceland, South American, Africa, and Asia, recording her experiences for publication.

Brief Itinerary:
Travelling by steamer, Ida left Vienna in March, 1842 for Constantinople. She would be there for about three weeks, and then venture on to Jerusalem and Sinai. She was in the Holy Land for several months, then went on to Cairo. She learned to ride a camel in order to go into the desert to see the Sphinx, the Great Pyramid at Giza, and the Valley of the Queens where the tomb of Queen Hatshepsut is located. She went to the Isthmus of Suez and began her journey home through Naples, Italy. She was gone for a little over ten months on this trip.

Brief History of the Text:
Ida kept a travel journal during her trip through the Holy Land, Egypt, and Italy. She kept this journal faithfully at the end of each travel day. Written in pencil, the diary started as a personal treatise for herself and her family. First published as Reise in das Heilige Land: Konstantinopel, Palästina, Ägypten im Jahre 1842, it became one of the most widely read pieces of travel writing in Europe. Her work was translated by H. W.Dulcken and published in England in 1852 as A Ladies’ Visit to the Holy Land, Egypt, and Italy .The proceeds from this publication enabled Ida to fund her next journey.





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