Valley of San Juan del Oro (Harvesting Cinchona Bark)
Etcher Charles-François Daubigny French
after J. Denis
Not on view
The published state of this etching, which shows figures harvesting bark from cinchona trees in a forest landscape of Peru, appeared in Hugh Algernon Weddell’s scientific study of the subject in 1849. The botanist was tasked by the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in Paris to research the trees whose bark is the source of quinine, a drug essential for treating malaria. This impression of the etching bears the collector’s mark of Hector Giacomelli, an artist and illustrator who contributed to many natural history publications. Giacomelli’s professional perspective likely enhanced his appreciation for Daubigny’s book illustrations.
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