History. Previously on american artifacts, Smithsonian American Art Museum curator Eleanor Harvey introduced us to Alexander Von Humboldt, a german naturalist who earned worldwide fame in the 19th century, and visited the United States for six weeks in 1804. Next, in a second part visit to the exhibit, alexander von , Alexander Von Humboldt and the United States art, nature, and culture, eleanor shifts from describing him as an naturalist to his experience as a humanitarian to an abolitionist. When humboldt arrived, he wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson hoping to secure a visit. He also wrote a letter to secretary of state James Madison in which he said, i intended to enjoy the spectacle of a free people worthy of a great destiny. He is beginning to nudge that he has more at stake here than just Will Jefferson meet him and will he get information from the lewis and Clark Expedition . He wants to have an effect on the politics. While he is in washington, Charles Wilson peel will take hi
History of American Museumsia during the 19th century through the eyes of visitors, writers and collectors. Museums held a wide range of o objects from specimens to artifacts and technological models. S they were intended to promote useful knowledge. These collections generated a broader discussion about how objects were selected, preserved and classified as well as who ur gets to decide their value. These reflexes shaped broader debates about the scope of mew teams inn American Culture that continue to resonate today. O ms. Gochberg is the assistant ri director of studies and a lecturer on history and literature at harvard university. Shes taught seminars and tutorials on museums in americac museums in material culture and sciencee exploration empire. Her research and teaching focused on 19th century americand. Literature and cultu with particular interest in Museum Culture and studies and the history of science and technology. She received her ph. D. In o english from boston universi