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Looking for information about Emil Kaempfer (1 Viewer)

Melanie

Well-known member
Germany
It is possible to find out the biographical dates of Emil Kaempfer? I have only a short note in the book Whose Bird? by Bo Beolens and Michael Watkins. I know that he was from Germany and I know that he was an important assistant for Elsie Naumburg in the 1920s and 1930s. And he stayed in Brazil for a long time. But it seems that no one has ever challenged his live dates (date of birth, place of birth, date of death, place of death) There is not even an obituary what is rather strange as two birds (Kaempfer’s woodpecker and Kaempfer’s tody-tyrant) are named for him. Maybe there could be also data (from hard to find books) in Portuguese about him.
 
I suspect that there might be unpublished material about Kaempfer in the AMNH archives, but there doesn’t seem to be much published, as you say. He died in November 1953, in New York (Camargo, 1962, Sobre a viagem de Emil Kaempfer ao Brasil, Pap. Avuls. Dept. Zool., São Paulo 15(8): 79–80). Information about Kaempfer’s specimens can, of course, be found in various publications, especially those by Elsie Naumburg in Bull. AMNH; unfortunately, Naumburg was prevented from publishing more on Kaempfer’s Brazilian specimens due to the Second World War (see Zimmer,1955, Auk 72: 265–266; Naumburg’s obituary). For general information concerning Kaempfer’s itinerary and collecting life in Brazil, see Naumburg (1935, Bull. AMNH 68: 449–469, which includes photos and a map), Naumburg (1928, Auk 45: 60–65, describes Kaempfer’s rediscovery of Megaxenops, then known only from Reiser’s specimens, and his seeing a Cyanopsitta spixi at a railway station at ‘Joazeiro’ [very close, of course, to Curaçá]) and Pinto (1952, Arq. Zool. Est. São Paulo 8: 1–51; detailed summation of Kaempfer’s work in Minas Gerais).
 
Hi Guy,

many thanks for your reply. It is possible to get access to the article Sobre a viagem de Emil Kaempfer ao Brasil?

Melanie

PS: Its an interesting coincidence that Kaempfer died in the same month as Elsie Naumburg (she died 25 November 1953)
 
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Just an idea on Kaempfer... maybe?

It just struck me! Maybe his actual name, if he´s of German origin, is "Emil Kämpfer" and maybe its the lingouistic trouble with handling the German "umlaut" (dots over u or a) that makes it difficult to find any biographical facts about him.

It might be worth having a look at: Naumberg, E., 1937. Studies of birds from eastern Brazil and Paraguay, based on a collection made by Emil Kampfer. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., 74(3): pp. 139-205.

Also see attached file: Atualidades Ornitológicas On-line Nº 156, 2010, pages: 75,76, 77. = Kaempfer and Kämpfer!

In any case; its useless to look for "Kämpfer" on the internet, since it means "Fighter" and you´ll only end up finding tons of different warriors.

But it might be something to bear in mind in future searches for this man?

If so; Good luck!
 

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The biography of Emil Kaempfer is one of the biggest challenges in the history of Brazilian Ornithology. For nearly 30 years I have looking for information about it and even archivists of the AMNH could find it. Naumburg used Kampfer, but also used "Ernst [not Emil] Kaempfer." I do not think the use of the umlaut is important here, since we can use quotes: "Emil Kämpfer" for a Google searching. I would also like my study be remembered for the content and not by a different spelling used in a key figure. Unfortunately I don't know the source Hélio Camargo used to inform the place and date of death (NY, 1953?). I know Kaempfer was naturalia trader and insects dealer in 1907, while living in 'Altona-Ottensen [Hamburg]. I also seek information about it, to be treated in Volume 7 of my "Ruinas e urubus" [History of Ornithology in Parana, southern Brazil] and thank anyone who can send information: fernando at hori.bio.br. Thank you!
 
Maybe Revisão his tórica e toponímica do itinerário de Emil Kaempfer no Mato Grosso do Sul of any help? Unfortunately not at all my language (but assume Fernado is aware of it ;))

As insects are mentioned. According here he was a new member of International Entomologischen Verein zu Guben in 1905

No. 3955 Herr Emil Kaempfer, Charlottenburg, Pestalozzistr. 92 a.

Means he lived in Berlin and here

Emil Kaempfer, 57 Kaiser Friedrichstrasse, Charlottenburg, Berlin, Germany

To make it complete (but already mentioned) here Altona-Ottensen. But alwas written with ae and not ä.
 
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In my MS I only have the following brief (highly unsorted) notes …

● Kaempfer's Tody-Tyrant (Ceratotriccus/Idioptilon) Hemitriccus kaempferi ZIMMER 1953 (here, p.8) as "Idioptilon mirandae kaempferi"
[● also commemorated in the alternate Common name of Caatinga Woodpecker Celeus obrieni SHORT, 1973 (here) a k a Kaempfer’s woodpecker]
= the German collector (and trader of Naturalia) Emil Kämpfer (d./fl. 1953?) a k a Kaempfer (in English and most Non-German texts), active (together with his wife?) in South America from 1925 until (at least) 1931 … but maybe also in Puerto Plata 1921-1924? … Problably also collecting in the Dominican Republic? ... "falecida em novembro de 1953, nos Estados Unidos da América do Norte (Nova York" ?

Also see the following scrap-list of links (that I intend to look into later*); here (p. 77, text for "figura 7"), here (foot-note 63), here, here, here or here (foot-note No. 2) that maybe might help!?

Jobling 2010:
"Emil Kaempfer (fl. 1953) German collector in Brazil 1926–1931"
Jobling 2016 (i.e. todays HBW Alive Key):
"Emil Kaempfer (d. 1953) German collector in Brazil 1926-1931"
That´s all I have on this man, this far, so take it for what it´s worth!

And good luck pin-pointing him!

Björn

*He is on my (recently up-dated) list of forthcoming eponyms to check, but it will take a while before I get to him. I guess there´s far more to find.
---
 
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I assume death NY 1953 is wrong and might have introduced by In Memoriam: Elsie Margaret Binger Naumburg where he is mentioned as a collector for her. She died November 25, 1953 in New York. That he collected with his wife we can read here (this time the full The Auk article).

Here is written:

Emil Kaempfer sammelte später in Brasilien (1926 - 1931) für Frau Elsie Naumburg (American Museum of Natural History, New York) und lebte anschließend in Säo Paulo

For me it is possible that he died in Säo Paulo (but do not have evidence). But see also in this book

Emil Kaempfer, 561 Rua Libera Badaro, Sao Paulo, is interested In acquiring additional agencies for metalworking tools and other hardware lines. Scheduled to arrive early in May, via New York City, for a visit of 6 weeks. U. S. address: A Richard Nathan Corp., 29 Broadway, New York, N. Y. Itinerary: New York, New Haven, New Britain, Buffalo, Detroit, Chicago, and Cleveland..

According Foreign Commerce Weekly, Vol 26-27, p. 119 looks like he still lived 1947 and went for the US.
 
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Here´s a true longshot! A simple guess ... after a few hours with Google!

Could it be this guy: Emil … (1872-1951) that is our sought-after Mr. Kämpfer/Kaempfer/Kampfer/Kempfer (Photo of the man in question, from an Anonymous PowerPoint presentation, here; part; 3, 7 and 9) … !?!

If so I guess we´re talking of this man (at least it´s the same picture!), here!?
Emil Kempfer
Birth: Jan. 4, 1872
Bern, Switzerland
Death: Jun. 9, 1951
Darlington
Lafayette County
Wisconsin, USA
And if it´s him, he apparently wasn´t German, but Swiss (a fairly common mix-up).

DISCLAIMER: how true this is and based on what I do not know! I´ve seen nothing more than the above linking him to Brazil. Based on what I´ve seen this far I´m far, far from convinced! I think he might have been a bit old (if so past 50) when he explored Brazil!? But still, not impossible.

A possible clue onwards could be if anyone have seen or know the name of the wife (who accompanied him in Brazil)?

This far; take it for what it´s worth!
 
However I agree on that it was Mrs. Naumburg who died in New York in 1953, not Mr. Kae/ämpfer (see here). Looks like a simple misinterpretation of what Camargo intended to say, doesn´t it?

And I assume if Stresemann claimed (as in Martin's Post No. 10) that Kaempfer after having collected for Mrs. Naumburg (and the AMNH), at that point "… lebte anschließend in Säo Paulo" it ought to be correct. Erwin Stresemann is normally a man to trust. But if Mr. K. then left for the US I don´t know.

The search goes on!
 
Here Roberto Gonçalves de Oliveira (2003) writes his name "Kampfer" (once again) indicating that "Kaempfer" is simply an adaptation of Kämpfer ... or?

And, to complicate it even further; here, "Emil Kaempfer" is called "Austrian" ... !? :eek!:

To me it looks like some kind of of birth record needs to be found!

However; this far I leave him in your capable hands. I have quite a few left, before I reach the letter K in my MS.
 
Dear friend.
In the seventh volume of my "Ruinas e urubus: history of Ornithology of Parana", which will be published in January 2018, I will disclose a lot of biographical information about Emil Kaempfer, including date and place of birth, name of his wife etc. In addition, I will inform readers about what happened to him after he completed his trip to Brazil. The book will be published in Portuguese. I suggest using tools as Google Translator.
 
Dear friend.
In the seventh volume of my "Ruinas e urubus: history of Ornithology of Parana", which will be published in January 2018, I will disclose a lot of biographical information about Emil Kaempfer, including date and place of birth, name of his wife etc. In addition, I will inform readers about what happened to him after he completed his trip to Brazil. The book will be published in Portuguese. I suggest using tools as Google Translator.

Is this publication already available? If yes, where?
 

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