It was through his research into Clarence Bicknell that Graham Avery, the Vice-Chairman of the Clarence Bicknell Association, became interested in Fritz Mader.
Fritz Mader (1872-1921) alpinist, geologist, botanist, glaciologist, speleologist and photographer, was the son of the pastor of the German-speaking church in Nice. He was educated at a French Lycée in Nice, at a Gymnasium in Heilbronn, and at Leipzig University. He worked in Leipzig for Baedeker, the publisher of travel guides, but returned regularly over a period of 25 years to visit his parents in Nice, or at their summer home in Tenda from where he explored the surrounding mountains. Mader played a key role in 1897 in launching Clarence Bicknell (1842-1918) on the work of recording the rock engravings in the Maritime Alps which led to Bicknell’s international recognition as a pioneer in the study of prehistoric rock art.
Mader deserves to be better known as a pioneer of the natural history of the Maritime Alps, and Graham is now engaged in writing his biography.
This article gives a taste of more in-depth work to come. You can read it here or download it with the button at the bottom.