James Holman, (15 October 1786 – 29 July 1857), was widely known at the time of his wanderings as ‘the Blind Traveller’, a name that has stuck with him.
As a young man, Holman joined the British Royal Navy as a volunteer and while his early military career was somewhat quiet he rose to the ranks of lieutenant. This promising career was cut short when Holman was 25 as he was struck down with an illness that left him not only totally and permanently blind but also with permanent mobility problems due to back and muscle issues. Whilst his ailments were never properly diagnosed he would independently find the treatment that kept him at his healthiest. That treatment was to travel.
Holman’s ultimate though not always admitted goal was to circumnavigate the world as a solo traveller. This would be no mean feat for any traveller today, in the early 1800s it was a quest not undertaken by many. Not only was there no TripAdvisor available to the Blind Traveler, there were no maps or guides available for where he wanted to go – he wouldn’t have been able to read them at the time even if there was. Undertaking such a mission whilst also being totally blind and somewhat incapacitated is a mind-blowing challenge. It was one (amongst many others) that James Holman took on with zeal.
What is it like to hallucinate 24/7 for nearly 20 years? Find out here.
Holman’s initial wanderings took him across Europe , through France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. He published an account of his travels in Journey through France, etc. The book enjoyed an audience from the Queen and initial praise initially however Holman would be disappointed as some in the media at the time, including his peers, derided his narrative and interpretation of events due to his blindness. This reaction can be attributed to jealousy of Holman’s abilities as a traveller, experiencer and storyteller rather than any evidence of shortcomings in his work. Nevertheless, Holman retired his usage of the term ‘the Blind Traveller’ in the future so that his experiences wouldn’t be overshadowed by any perceived disability.
These attitudes did not curtail Holman’s desire to travel though, if anything it was strengthened and his wish to become the first person to circuit the world was again put into motion.
Russia would become Holman’s home for a while as he and his walking stick made a path through Siberia to the frontier of Mongolia. Unfortunately this time Holman was not accused of seeing too little but too much as the Russian Czar accused him of being a spy for the Americans. His passage onward was then blocked (traveling out of Russia via Siberia was not allowed expect with the rare permission of the Czar himself) and Holman was forced to return home. Always one to make the best of a bad or unplanned situation, Holman returned via Austria, Saxony, Prussia and Hanover. These adventures would be the basis for Travels through Russia, Siberia, etc. which was published in 1825.
Undaunted by his latest roadblock, Holman again setout to reach his goal with his wonderful wanderings being published over four volumes in A Voyage Round the World, including Travels in Africa, Asia, Australasia, America, etc., from 1827 to 1832.
Holman’s achievements in travel and their communication through his writings is remarkable enough; for any individual to keep moving forward despite the many obstacles in his way is a sure sign of strength. What is even more impressive though is the fact that Holman was a true explorer and pioneer not only in the places he went to but in how he got to them and in how he wrote them down.
The white cane (identification or long canes) that are so synonomous with blind or people with low vision did not exist then; instead he adapted a walking stick to do the job for him. This was not only used by Holman to sweep the immediate vicinity like we do with a white cane today but he also used its tappings and rappings to navigate via echolocation. The word echolocation didn’t exist then of course and the concept was most probably not widely discussed or understood but was intuitively recognised and used as a tool by Holman. I will write about the remarkable navigation tool that is echolocation in future posts.
Further travels to Spain, Portugal, Moldavia, Montenegro, Syria and Turkey were made by Holman and he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society (UK) and his observations and writings were used by no less than Charles Darwin as source material in his own quests of exploration and understanding.
Blind photography – yep, its a thing! Read about it here.
Voice recognition, text to speech programs and Voice Over certainly weren’t available to Holman and neither was Braille but still he managed to document his travels at times via a scribe but often through his own hands which in itself is a major accomplishment. His reading and writing skills were developed and honed whilst undertaking studies in Medicine and Literature before his travels. Yep, the guy was incredible.
At this stage in his life Holman was regarded as the most widely travelled individual of the time, a claim he could possibly still lay claim to. Such an achievement is incredible in itself but made even more impressive due to Holman’s blindness and other physical ailments. Sadly, over time, Holman’s adventures and experiences have largely been forgotten, indeed his status had already waned before his death.
James Holman passed away in London in 1857 shortly after writing his autobiography. Unfortunately this autobiography was not published and has disappeared.
James Holman was not trying to be the first blind person to do anything nor was he trying to create a reputation for himself. He was just a passionate person who followed his dreams down his own path. He will always be remembered as the Blind Traveller, an inspiration and a gentleman who was never content to be hamstrung by the system.
For a comprehensive record of James Holman’s adventures and life check out Jason Robert’s fantastic book A Sense of the World: How a Blind Man Became History’s Greatest Traveller.
