Jacques-Gérard Milbert (18 November 1766 – 5 June 1840) was a French naturalist and artist.
Milbert was a pupil of the landscape painter Pierre-Henri de Valenciennes,[1] [2] and went on to teach drawing at the Parisian school of mines[2] – the French: [[École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris]] – from 1795.[3]
In 1800, Milbert embarked on Nicolas Baudin's voyage to Australia.[2] During the voyage, Milbert and several other artists became ill,[2] and the artists and the captain came into conflict.[1] This caused several artists, including Milbert, to leave the voyage at Mauritius, leaving Charles-Alexandre Lesueur to produce the voyage's scientific drawings.[1] Milbert returned to France, where in 1812 he published a series of views of Mauritius, the Cape Colony and Tenerife, titled French: Voyage pittoresque à l'Ile de France, au Cap de Bonne Espérence et à l'Ile de Ténériffe,[1] [2] comprising two octavo volumes of text, and one quarto volume of plates.[2]
In 1815, Milbert travelled to the United States, where he would remain for eight years, based in New York City, teaching, and travelling extensively in the northeastern United States.[2] During his time there, he sent back 48 shipments of natural history specimens to the French: [[Muséum national d'histoire naturelle]] in Paris.[2]
Milbert returned to France on 20 October 1823, and began teaching, again at the school of mines.[2] He published several further volumes, including drawings from his travels in the United States. He died on 5 June 1840.[2]
Milbert was awarded the French: [[Légion d'honneur]] and, after a campaign by scientists who had received his specimens, the government agreed to pay Milbert's widow a pension.[2]