Antique Prints, Maps, & Books of Natural History, Botanicals, & More
Lot 67463:
Description
This fine volume is
Travels in the Interior of North America commissioned by Prince Alexander Philipp Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied with 81 folio plates after Karl Bodmer. The work was edited by Reuben Gold Thwaites. It was published in Cleveland in 1906 by The Arthur H. Clarke Co. Reuben Gold Thwaites was a secretary of the Wisconsin Historical Society.
Karl Bodmer’s images show great versatility and technical virtuosity and give us a uniquely accomplished and detailed picture of a previously little understood (and soon to vanish) way of life. Swiss-born Bodmer was engaged by Prince Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied specifically to provide a record of his travels in North America, principally among the Plains Indians.
In the company of David Dreidoppel (Prince Maximilian’s servant and hunting companion), their travels in North America were to last from 1832 to 1834. They arrived in Boston in July 1832, traveled on to Philadelphia, where they stayed with Napoleon Bonaparte’s elder brother Joseph. From here they headed west across Pennsylvania across the Alleghenies to Pittsburgh and the Ohio country, visiting all the important German settlements en route.
Their most important stop on their route west was at the utopian colony of New Harmony in Indiana. The Prince spent five months there in the company of some of the country’s leading scientific men, and studying all the relevant literature on backcountry America. On 24 March 1833 the party reached St. Louis, Missouri, and the start of the journey into Indian country.
Provenance: Birmingham-Southern College collection
Paper Size: ~ 16" by 20 3/4"
Condition report:
The work is in very good to excellent condition. There is some wear and discoloration from age to the binding. There may be a few minor marks or imperfections to be expected with age. Please review the image carefully for condition and contact us with any questions.
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