Die wissenschaftliche Erschließung des Zarenreichs. Der Beitrag Alexander von Middendorffs in Wort und Bild
Scientific Exploration of Imperial Russia. Alexander von Middendorff’s Contribution in Text and Image

Summary/Abstract: Starting in the first half of the 19th century, a series of expeditions were carried out, on the initiative of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, with the aim of systematically investigating the still largely unchartered regions of the Russian Empire. Zoologist and explorer Alexander Theodor von Middendorff (1815-1894) also made a ground-breaking scientific contribution to Imperial Russia as a result of his travels through the northern and easternmost reaches of Siberia during the 1840s. The findings of his expedition were published as a four-volume work. Technological advances in printing at the time made it possible for the Academy to include in this publication a large number of illustrations, in the form of plates and woodcuts, depicting phenomena that had barely been researched until then. Sketches that had been produced during the journey, or later during the evaluation of exhibits, were prepared for publication by scientific draughtsmen. Middendorff also allowed the inclusion of drawings from other expeditions in his publication in cases where they helped to provide a more complete picture of his scientific findings. Because the work is compiled according to specific subject areas, the illustrations cover a range of themes, namely drawings of animal and plant-life, geographical illustrations and ethnographic depictions. These images were included with the aim of visually supplementing the textual explanations. Discernible in the work is Middendorff’s aspiration to include very detailed drawings, though there is also evidence of his requirement that the drawn objects be depicted in a true-to-life way. In its form and distribution, the publication’s pictorial content is divided into two kinds. The lithographs contained in the first three volumes, along with the plates in the appendix, are intended mainly for a scientific target audience. The fourth volume, including an account of the journey and the ethnographic studies, contains numerous woodcuts incorporated into the body text, and is aimed at appealing to a wider readership. As a whole, the pictures have contributed to Middendorff’s popularity and the high profile of his expedition.

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