ROALD AMUNDSEN (1872-1928)

MANUSCRIPTS, INCLUDING INSCRIBED BOOKS AND PHOTOGRAPHS, AND HISTORICAL MEMORABILIA

Details

ROALD AMUNDSEN (1872-1928)
A collection of 133 photographs in two albums, forming a possibly unique record of the first attempt by Roald Amundsen and Lincoln Ellsworth to reach the North Pole, using two Dornier Wal flying boats. At least one of the albums was presented by Amundsen to Ellsworth, being inscribed: "My dear Mr. Ellsworth! Please accept this photograph-book as a small acknowledgement for all genialness you have shown us. Yours truly Odd Amundsen, Oslo, July 11. 1925." Together the two albums form not just a memento of the members of the expedition, but a record of its progress from setting sail, to the unpacking and assembly of the Dornier Wals on ice, followed by the test flights that provided the first aerial photographs of the polar icecap, the disasterous loss of one plane through the ice, the off course landing on an ice floe with the other in the effort to reach the Pole, the fight back to safety, and the final return home to jubilant crowds. (2)

Lot Essay

The Dornier Do J Wal was constructed in Germany by the C.M.A.S.A. in 1922. Wingspan: 73ft 7.25in. Length: 56ft 7.25in. Height: 17 ft. Weight: 5,566lb. Cruising Speed: 78 mph (125Km/h). Crew: 1. Passengers: 6-7.

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