Alexander von Humboldt, 1769-1859
The year 2004 marks the bicentennial of Alexander von Humboldt's first and only visit to Philadelphia and to the United States. We take this opportunity to present the remarkable life of one of the preeminent scientists of his time.
Portrait of Alexander von Humboldt,
from the frontispiece of the English
edition of Cosmos as published in 1850.
Alexander Von Humboldt was born in Berlin in 1769. As a child he was privately tutored, and then studied commerce at the university in Hamburg. His heart was not in the subject, and because of his interest in geology, he left to study mining in Freiberg. At about this time he also developed a passion for botany, and continued to study both subjects until the end of his life. Because of his untiring capacity for work, his ability to see the broader picture, and his motivation to record measurements carefully, Humboldt discovered many of the concepts we take for granted today. He invented safety lamps for miners; he climbed high mountains and learned about the effects of altitude on humans, plants, and climate; he learned how the earth's geomagnetic fields effect navigation; he created what were, at that time, the most accurate relief maps of large regions; he was the first to note the relation between the earth's magnetic intensity and the aurora borealis. Humboldt collected exhaustive data in the areas of geomagnetism, meteorology, climatology, geology, mineralogy, oceanography, zoology, botany, ethnography, physiology, and linguistics!
Humboldt spent his early years traveling and exploring the world with a special focus on South America. He lived several years in Paris and returned there often to visit his many friends. By 1827 he had spent his inheritance and so returned to Berlin to become a royal chamberlain to the court. In 1829 he traveled briefly through Russia as a diplomat and scientist, once again taking careful measurements of temperatures, magnetic values, and collecting geologic and biological data. Humboldt died peacefully in his 90th year.
Today, Alexander von Humboldt is best known for the Humboldt Current of the Pacific Ocean, named in his honor. (It is also known as the Peru Current.) His imposing portrait, painted by James Reid Lambdin, hangs in the northeast corner of the library's reading room.
This online exhibit on Humboldt features the following:
- Humboldt's first book, Mineralogische Beobachtungen
- Humboldt as Academy Member
- Botanical Works
- Interest in Indigenous Cultures of the Americas
- Humboldt as a Scientific Mentor
- His 1804 visit to Philadelphia
- Popular Works: Kosmos and Ansichten der Natur
- Humboldt's systematic Scientific Measurements
- Works in Vulcanology
- Voyage aux régions équinoxiales: Humboldt's multivolume publication of his exploration of the Americas
- Zoological Works
Eileen Mathias — Curator