Between 1832-34, the explorer and naturalist Prince Alexander Philipp Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied, Germany, embarked on a voyage into the furthest reaches of the American Interior. Accompanied by the Swiss artist Karl Bodmer, Maximilian set forth from St. Louis in April 1833 on a 2,500 mile journey by steamship and keelboat up the Missouri River, traveling as far as Fort McKenzie, Montana.
Uncover the untold stories within the pages of Maximilian’s journals. These firsthand accounts provide a window into the past, revealing the expedition’s triumphs and tribulations.
Delve into a visual masterpiece. Witness the American West through the eyes of a gifted artist, Karl Bodmer, as he captures its untamed beauty.
Follow the expedition as they cross the Atlantic Ocean and the North American continent through a concise interactive timeline highlighting key moments along their journey.
Track the locations where Maximilian and Bodmer documented the stunning landscapes, distinctive cultures, and their changing thinking about the people and places they encountered.
The watercolors that Bodmer produced on this journey remain one of the most perceptive and compelling visual accounts of the West ever created. Meanwhile, his patron Maximilian was equally hard at work on a journal documenting his scientific and anthropologic observations. Few historical chronicles are as informative and eloquent, describing the topography, Native peoples, natural history, and the burgeoning fur trade of the High Plains.
