Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied

Who was Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied?

Prince Alexander Philipp Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied was a German explorer, ethnologist and naturalist. He led a pioneering expedition to southeast Brazil between 1815–1817, from which the album Reise nach Brasilien, which first revealed to Europe real images of Brazilian Indians, was the ultimate result. It was translated into several languages and recognized as one of the greatest contributions to the knowledge of Brazil at the beginning of the nineteenth century. In 1832 he embarked on another expedition, this time to North America, together with the Swiss painter Karl Bodmer.

Prince Maximilian collected many examples of ethnography, and a large number of specimens of flora and fauna of the area, still preserved in museum collections, notably in the Lindenmuseum, Stuttgart. The Genus Neuwiedia Blume was named for him.