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Biographical/Historical Information

Alexander von Humboldt was born in Berlin in 1769, younger brother of the Prussian minister and philosopher Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767-1835). Alexander v. Humboldt’s research and extensive travels in Europe and in the Americas contributed to his important discoveries in the field of biogeography. His positive relationship to Judaism, Jews, and Jewish families is highly remembered. Alexander von Humboldt died in Berlin in 1859.

Wilhelm Hensel - born in Trebbin, Germany in 1794 – was a highly acclaimed painter and graphic artist around the time of the 1848 Revolution. He was a professor and a royal court painter. Hensel was married to the pianist Fanny Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1805-1847), the sister of Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847). Wilhelm Hensel died in Berlin in 1861.

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Citation

Alexander von Humboldt / drawing by Wilhelm Hensel with handwritten inscription; August 1858, Leo Baeck Institute, F 21660.