In the nineteenth century, the phenomenon of 'going abroad' was born. Beautiful Mediterranean towns, luxurious spas of Mittel-Europe and the golf courses of France became the playground of the idle wealthy. Until foreign travel became more accessible, the picturesque towns and smart hotels catered to an elite mix of royalty, celebrities and high society. This was where society could relax, mingle, see and be seen - where rules could be bent and broken and routines forgotten.
Drawing Mary Evans Picture Library's archives, Lucinda Gosling traces the growth of some of Europe’s most exclusive and desirable holiday destinations from Monte Carlo to Maidenhead, Biarritz to St Moritz, and explores the lives of the privileged holidaymakers who travelled there. Revealing a world of gossip and glamour, Holidays and High Society tells the story of travel in a golden age through its fashions, faces and places, using evocative vintage travel posters, brochures, fashion spreads and more: the ultimate form of escapism for anyone with a passion for the past.