Existing comment:
Alexander von Humboldt
Frontispiece to Researches, Concerning the Institutions & Monuments of the Ancient Inhabitants of America (Views of the Cordilleras), London
1814
Engraving
Frederic Church and his traveling companion and patron, Cyrus Field, used Humboldt's book as their travel guide. The two Americans followed parts of Humboldt's itinerary, making sure to stop at the same sites and sketch the important landmarks, including Cotopaxi and Tequendama Falls. Church was looking for similar experiences and sketched from the same vantage points Humboldt had chosen for his engravings.
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