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Show 90 Americas.1 ^ To a large extent Europe's romantic vision of America had been fostered by the naturalists themselves. In their pursuit of scientific knowledge these men led expeditions into all of the least-known regions of the globe. Europe was inundated with descriptions of previously unexplored, exotic, mysterious, and dangerous realms, through which stalked the Byronic figures of men such as Humboldt, von Martius, and Schinz.14 Maximilian was certainly aware of the philosophical, literary, and artistic underpinings which promoted this romantic vision of the new world. It must also be remembered that Maximilian himself had first explored the more exotic jungles of South America in the earlier years of the century.1 ^ By the time of his North American expedition, the mysteries of the contintent had long since been replaced by the examplar of classical democratic republicanism as a symbol for European aspirations. Only the Indian and the yet-unexplored American West remained a source of exotic appeal to Europe.1 ^ Thus, it was not simply coincidence that led Maximilian to the Upper Missouri; his interest in this wilderness and its inhabitants was a response to a romantic vision deeply embedded in the traditions of scientific exploration. Interest in the ancient civilizations that had inhabited the now relatively tamed North American contintent was also high. The first archeological excavations had unearthed evidence that advanced cultures had once populated North America. Scientific speculations and romantic explanations regarding the origins of these extinct civilizations, as well as those of Central and South America, were widespread.1 ^ Thus, Maximilian's "vision" of the |
