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Alexander von Humboldt and the United States: Art, Nature, and Culture

Book

Publications

Complete Citation

  • Harvey, Eleanor Jones. 2020. Alexander von Humboldt and the United States: Art, Nature, and Culture. Washington, DC;Princeton, New Jersey: Smithsonian American Art Museum in association with Princeton University Press.

Overview

Abstract

  • Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) was one of the most influential scientists and thinkers of his age. A Prussian-born geographer, naturalist, explorer, and illustrator, he was a prolific writer. In this beautifully illustrated book, Eleanor Jones Harvey examines how Humboldt left a lasting impression on American visual arts, sciences, literature, and politics. She shows how he inspired a network of like-minded individuals who would go on to embrace the spirit of exploration, decry slavery, advocate for the welfare of Native Americans, and extol America's wilderness as a signature component of the nation's sense of self.

Publication Date

  • 2020

Authors