Wilhelm Micholtz
It took a certain sort of person to be a successful orchid hunter. Wilhelm Micholitz was one of the best. For a start, he avoided death by drowning, disease, knife fights or disappearance, unlike many of his swashbuckling profession.
Micholitz worked for Frederick Sander, the orchid king - the greatest of all the Victorian orchid dealers and collectors. Sander sent Micholitz searching through tropical forests from New Guinea to Burma, Sumatra to South America.
In possession of a calm and level head, Micholitz became skilled at both finding orchids and avoiding falling prey to the skulduggery of his competitors. Despite occasionally being caught up in revolutions, or discovering his shipments had perished at sea, he managed to send back thousands of new orchids to England.
Micholitz retired to his native Germany with the wealth of his adventures but his savings vanished in the rampant inflation after World War II and he lived out his final years in poverty.
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Frederick Sander
Audio Clip (1:10)
Hear about the most famous orchid collector and merchant in Victorian Britain known as The Orchid King.
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Wilhelm Micholtz
Audio Clip (1:56)
Tales from the tropical jungles of Asia.
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