Title: Science in a colonial context
Description: Caspar Georg Carl Reinwardt was born in the Rhineland province of Prussia in 1773, but moved to the Netherlands at a young age. He studied science and philosophy there, later becoming a professor of natural history. From 1817 to 1822 he served the Dutch in the East Indies, recently recovered from British control after the Napoleonic wars ended in 1815, as director of affairs for agriculture, arts and sciences. He is best known as the founder of the famous botanical gardens at Buitenzorg (now Bogor) on Java (1817). He traveled extensively in the archipelago in these years. His papers concern among others gathering samples of flora and fauna for the natural history collections in the Netherlands and scientific investigations into various subjects, such as earthquakes and volcanoes, mining and agriculture. Also included are various papers and memoranda of officials of the VOC (Dutch East India Company) from the second-half of the eighteenth century, as well as a short travel account by the Belgian artist A.A.J. Payen and a few documents from Reinwardt's period as professor in Leiden after his return from the Indies.
Subjects: Natural history, Travel, Description and travel, Archives
Places: Indonesia
People: C.G.C. Reinwardt (1773-1854)