The Austrian expedition to Brazil (Österreichische Brasilien-Expedition) was a scientific expedition which explored

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. It was organized and financed by the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...

from 1817 to 1835.

History

The expedition had as its main supporter the Austrian statesman

Prince Metternich Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar, Prince of Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein ; german: Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar Fürst von Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein (15 May 1773 – 11 June 1859), known as Klemens von Metternich or Prince Metternic ...

and the expedition was associated with the politically significant marriage of

Dom Pedro Dom Pedro (''Lord Peter'') is the traditional Portuguese appellation of several kings of Portugal: * Peter I of Portugal * Peter II of Portugal * Peter III of Portugal * Pedro IV of Portugal * Pedro V of Portugal and of the two 19th-century Emperors ...

of Brazil and Archduchess Leopoldine of Austria. Overall planning was overseen by Metternich and scientific planning was undertaken by Carl Franz von Schreibers. The contingent of fourteen naturalists included

Johann Christian Mikan Johann Christian Mikan (born 5 December 1769 in Teplitz, died 28 December 1844 in Prague) was an Austrian-Czech botanist, zoologist and entomologist. He was the son of Joseph Gottfried Mikan. Career Mikan was a professor of natural history at t ...

Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius Carl Friedrich Philipp (Karl Friedrich Philipp) von Martius (17 April 1794 – 13 December 1868) was a German botanist and explorer. Life Martius was born at Erlangen, the son of Prof Ernst Wilhelm Martius, court apothecary. He graduated PhD f ...

Giuseppe Raddi Giuseppe Raddi (9 July 1770 in Florence, Italy – 6 September 1829 the island of Rhodes) was an Italian botanist and curator at the Museum of Natural History of Florence. He was among the first Europeans to explore and document the flora of South ...

Heinrich Wilhelm Schott Heinrich Wilhelm Schott (7 January 1794 in Brünn (Brno), Moravia – 5 March 1865 at Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna) was an Austrian botanist well known for his extensive work on aroids (Araceae). He studied botany, agriculture and chemistry at ...

Johann Baptist von Spix Johann Baptist Ritter von Spix (9 February 1781 – 13 March 1826) was a German natural history, biologist. From his expedition to Brazil, he brought to Germany a large variety of specimens of plants, insects, mammals, birds, amphibians and fish. ...

Johann Baptist Emanuel Pohl Johann Baptist Emanuel Pohl (23 February 1782, Česká Kamenice (german: Böhmisch Kamnitz) – 22 May 1834, Vienna) was an Austrian botanist, entomologist, geologist, mineralogist, and physician. Biography Johann Emanuel Pohl grew up in ''Politz ...

Johann Natterer Johann Natterer (9 November 1787 – 17 June 1843) was an Austrian natural history, naturalist and List of explorers, explorer. Family and early life Johann Natterer was born on 9 November 1787, the son of the animal-zoologist Joseph Natter ...

, Ferdinand Dominik Sochor (Imperial hunter and a skilled taxidermist) and the artists

Thomas Ender Thomas Ender (3 November 1793, Vienna - 28 September 1875, Vienna) was an Austrian landscape painter and watercolorist. Life and work He was born to Johann Ender, a junk dealer, and was the twin brother of Johann Nepomuk Ender, a history pain ...

and Johann Buchberger. A thirteen-room "Brazilian Museum" containing 133,000 objects from the expedition was opened to the public. It was closed in 1836 and the contents integrated with those of the Hof-Naturalienkabinette, now the

Natural History Museum of Vienna The Natural History Museum Vienna (german: Naturhistorisches Museum Wien) is a large natural history museum located in Vienna, Austria. It is one of the most important natural history museums worldwide. The NHM Vienna is one of the largest museum ...

References

* Kann, Bettina: '' Die österreichische Brasilienexpedition 1817 - 1836 unter besonderer Berücksichtigung ethnographischen Ergebnisse. '' Diplomarbeit Wien 1992 * Riedl-Dorn, Christa: '' Johann Natterer und die österreichische Brasilienexpedition. '' Petrópolis 1999 * Steinle, Robert: '' Historische Hintergründe österreichischen Brasilienexpedition (1817-1835) mit einer Dokumentation der Bororo-Bestände aus Sammlung Natterer des Museums für Völkerkunde in Wien. '' Dissertation Wien 2000

Sources

* de:Österreichische Brasilien-Expedition

External links

Colecção de Johann Natterer in the Museum für Völkerkunde

Virtual course of the expedition (in German)
Historiography of Brazil

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Austrian Empire 19th century in Brazil Botanical expeditions Scientific expeditions South American expeditions Explorers of Amazonia {{Brazil-hist-stub