The Cartography of Alexander Von Humboldt: Images of the Enlightenment in America

The Cartography of Alexander von Humboldt: Images of the Enlightenment in America offers a cartographic perspective of Alexander von Humboldt?s journey to the Americas, 1799-1804. Presented in the context of the European Enlightenment, this study includes Humboldt?s romanticized view of the natural world that was an essential part of his science and philosophy. It interprets Humboldt?s maps and images as part of a transatlantic exchange, incorporating the theme of old Europe and the New World found throughout his work. Humboldt effectively used images in the presentation of his ideas, a concept that has been adopted throughout this study. When combined with text, images permit a closer reading of the subject matter than text alone. Just as the vivid and dramatic paintings of David and Goya provide clarity to the philosophical writing of the age, Humboldt?s maps and illustrations serve as visual images of the Enlightenment in early nineteenth-century America.