KARL THEODOR GOLDSCHMID
Karl Theodor Goldschmid was born 1896 and raised in Dättlikon (Zurich), Switzerland, the eldest of six siblings. He was an explorer and avid photographer, spending most of his life traveling in Europe, Asia and Latin America.
He climbed over 60 peaks in the Swiss Alps and Latin America, always carrying a camera with him. Numerous large sized negatives, some of them on glass, are a testimony of this early passion.
Before beginning his assignment in Ecuador he purchased one of the most modern cameras available, the Contax II, which he used to produce some of the first colour photographs of the Amazon region using Kodachrome (35mm) film. In addition to this new model, he also carried in his rucksack (back pack) a 9×13 and a 4×6 camera, his tripod, a light meter, and other photographic materials.
During his time in Ecuador, KTG organized over a dozen expeditions from the Andes to the Amazon Basin, climbing several volcanic mountains, traveling through dense rainforest and along the numerous Amazonian rivers. This provided fascinating insights into the rich culture, diverse geography and abundance of nature in these regions at that time.
In 1961, KTG retired and returned to live in Zurich, Switzerland where he lived with his wife until his death in 1982 at the age of 86. He left behind numerous meticulously written diaries, as well as beautiful images of his journeys, providing great insight into these regions in their historical context, which are now maintained in the Archivo Goldschmid and managed by his son and granddaughter.
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1896, May 28 |
Born in Dättlikon, Zurich, Switzerland, eldest of six siblings born to Bertha Ulrich married to Theodor Goldschmid, a protestant minister of the Dättlikon Parish from 1892 until 1905. |
1903 – 1915 |
Starts primary school in Dättlikon and concludes with the baccalaureate in Zurich. (Freies Gymnasium Zurich) |
1915 – 1924 |
Attends the Universities of Zurich and Bern, obtaining a Doctorate in Geology. In 1917 he is drafted to the army centre of Locarno and fulfils his active military service in World War I. |
1918 – 1923 |
Climbs 53 peaks in the Swiss Alps, including two new routes of ascent. |
1924 |
Hired by the Shell Oil Company of Holland, working on geological surveys in several countries for 23 years. |
1924 – 1938 |
Carries out several assignments in: Paita, Peru, Maracaibo, Venezuela and Indonesia. |
1931, Nov. 19 – 21 |
Marries Leonie Armster and travels with his wife and daughter Lonni to Tampico, Mexico, where his son Heinrich is born on 5 of May 1933. |
1938, March 19 |
Moves to Guatemala with the family. |
1939, July – Sept. |
While on vacation in Switzerland, he is drafted to compulsory Military Service at the start of World War II and subsequently exonerated to comply with his assignment and move to Ecuador. |
1939 – 1946 |
Lives in Ecuador with his family and completes ten expeditions to the Amazon Basin for geological surveys. |
1946, August |
KTG and the family return to Zurich. |
1947, October |
KTG retires from the Shell Oil Company. |
1948 – 1950 |
KTG Works for the Geologic Commission of Switzerland.Several social and academic circles of Zurich invited him to give presentations on his expeditions from the Andes to the Amazon Basin in Ecuador; illustrated with slide projections. |
1950 – 1961 |
Works on an assignment with the Iran Oil Co. |
1961 – 1982 |
Retires and returns to Switzerland, where he constructs his chalet in Laax, Flims and together with friends organizes several excursions to the Alps. |
1968 – 69 |
He establishes contact with Dr Paul Schauenberg, promoter of the Project for National Parks in the Amazon Region for the Word Wildlife Fund. |
1982, Dec. 05 |
Karl Theodor Goldschmid passes away in Zurich at the age of 86 years. |
Heinrich Goldschmid
Heinrich (Henry) Goldschmid was born in Tampico, Mexico and was raised in Mexico, Ecuador and Switzerland. He graduated from the University of Basel in 1964 with a Doctorate in Geology.
After a career in the private sector he retired in 1995 and created the Goldschmid Archive based on the materials left behind by his father. In 2005, he published the book “From the Andes to the Amazon Basin in Ecuador: An Explorers Diary from 1939 to 1946”.
Heinrich Goldschmid passed away on 20 October 2020 at the age of 87.
Patricia Goldschmid
Patricia Goldschmid was born in Lima, Peru (daughter of Heinrich and Ruth Goldschmid and granddaughter of Karl and Leonie Goldschmid).
She grew up in Peru, Ecuador and Canada and moved to Switzerland in 1996. She has an undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto and a Masters of Science in Communications Management from the University of Lugano, Switzerland.
She currently lives in Switzerland working as a communications and evaluation consultant. Since 2005, she has traveled to Ecuador on a regular basis, visiting the regions explored by her grandfather.