Existing comment:
Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland
Geographie der pflanzen in den Tropen-Ländern: ein Naturgemälde der Anden
1811
black-and-white print
Humboldt's Essay on the Geography of Plants was published first in French and then in German. Both editions included the Naturgemälde, or Plant Geography Map, and buyers had the option of a black-and-white or a hand-colored version of this map. Both versions are on view in this exhibition. As you watch the video presentation on Church's Heart of the Andes, consider how Church's painting incorporates the vast amount of data found in Humboldt's infographic. Church's painting is his way of compiling the overwhelming detail found in Humboldt's Naturgemälde into a fitting homage to the Prussian naturalist and his ideas.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |