PRINCE MAXIMILIAN OF WIED'S LEGACY

Prince Maximilian of Wied was a German naturalist who traveled through the United States in 1832-34. The major purpose of his journey was the investigation of the flora and fauna of North America, but he also had a keen interest in its indigenous peoples and recorded their customs, languages, and cultures. Thus, Maximilian's legacy survives in the nomenclature of plants and animals, and in his well-known studies of Northern Plains tribes such as the Mandan and the Hidatsa.

This presentation will discuss Prince Maximilian's contributions to natural history, and his encounters and contacts with naturalists, artists, and German "Landsleute" throughout the United States. It will also focus on his prolonged stay in New Harmony, Indiana, where in the winter of 1832-33 he met with fellow naturalists Thomas Say and Charles Alexandre Lesueur.