Restrictions
Restrictions on Use:61 letters are photostatic copies from originals in the Maryland Historical Society and the New-York Historical Society. Their use is restricted to reference.
Provenance
Received and accessioned, 1957. See in-house shelf list for additional accession numbers and dates.
Processing information
Inventory incomplete.
General note
For articles regarding parts of this collection, see Helmut de Terra, "Alexander von Humboldt's Correspondence with Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin," American Philosophical Society Proceedings 103 (1959): 783 and "Studies of the Documentation of Alexander von Humboldt," APS Proceedings 102 (1958): 136, 560.
Naval History Note
The Alexander von Humboldt Papers contain at least one letter which may be of interest to naval historians:
Humboldt, Alexander von. Letter to Matthew Fontaine Maury. n.d. Concerning his work on hydrography, refers to Gay-Lussac. 2 pages. (B H88.39).
Early American History Note
This collection of Humboldt’s correspondence touches on his travels throughout the Americas. Of note are his letters with prominent Americans--namely Thomas Jefferson, Rembrandt Peale, and Peter Du Ponceau--about his observations. Many letters are in French. Some have translations.
There are also other documents that relate to Humboldt’s activities, such as a record of his arrival at the Philadelphia customs house and various other letters to scientific luminaries of the day.
The APS also has photocopies and other reproductions of Humboldt’s correspondence, including letters to Albert Gallatin.