Dumbstruck Dutchmen: Netherlandish Travellers into the Lion’s Den (1672–1750)

During the long eighteenth century, Paris became a favourite destination for Netherlandish travellers, who were attracted by the luxurious shops, extensive leisure facilities, well-stocked museums, and modern architecture. Yet the triumphant iconography of Louis XIV, immortalizing French victories in paintings, tapestries and bas-reliefs, may have been a thorn in these visitors’ flesh. Drawing evidence from a series of travel journals, we will examine how Dutch and Flemish travellers experienced this abrasive ‘propaganda’.