Description:

Amundsen Roald 1872 - 1928 Rare Amundsen signed photo of the first North Pole airship, "Norge" c1926

Glossy black and white silver gelatin press photo, c1926, 8" x 10", depicting the dirigible 'Norge" in flight. Boldly signed in vibrant green ink by Roald Amundsen as "Roald Amundsen". Additional press stamp on verso of "This photo is supplied by International Newsreel/226 William St, New York City ..." Three 1/2" intact tears along outer edge, and with slight rippling, mostly to outer edges. Pale, faint bleed through of prior stamp on verso. Overall very good.

Although Amundsen's expedition to the South Pole had relative easy success; his expedition attempts to reach the North Pole was fraught with enormous difficulties, travesties, bankruptcy and loss. His success was finally achieved with the Norge, a semi-rigid dirigible Italian built airship. The expedition was the brainchild of polar explorer expedition leader Amundsen, the ships designer, and pilot Umberto Nobile, and American explorer Lincoln Ellsworth who financed the trip. However this successful "flight" was only after many numerous prior attempts were made over a period of 10 years to reach the North Pole.

Amundsen infamous North Pole exhibition came much after his success with the South Pole, first starting with the launch of Maud in 1916/1917. Amundsen's formidable plan to reach the North Pole included to freeze the Maud into the polar ice cap and drift towards the North Pole (as Nansen had done with the Fram), and he did so off Cape Chelyuskin. But, the ice became so thick that the ship was unable to break free, although it was designed for such a journey in heavy ice. In September 1919, the crew managed to free the ship loose from the ice, but it froze again after eleven days. The incredible path to the North Pole, which took an additional 6 years was fraught with one disaster after another that would easily compete with any harrowing movie scene ...

Amundsen could no longer participate in the work outdoors, such as sleigh rides and hunting, because he had suffered numerous injuries. He had a broken arm and had been attacked by polar bears. Hanssen and Wisting, along with two other men, embarked on an expedition by dog sled to Nome Alaska, more than 1,000 kilometres away. But they found that the ice was not frozen solid in the Bering Strait, and it could not be crossed. They sent a telegram to signal their location.

After two additional winters frozen in the ice, without having achieved the goal of drifting over the North Pole, Amundsen decided to go to Nome, Alaska to repair the ship and buy provisions. Several of the crew ashore there, including Hanssen, did not return on time to the ship. Amundsen considered Hanssen to be in breach of contract, and dismissed him from the crew. During the third winter, Maud was frozen in the western Bering Strait. She finally became free and the expedition sailed south, reaching Seattle Washington, in the US Pacific Northwest in 1921 for repairs.

By June 1922, Amundsen returned to Maud, which had been sailed to Nome. He decided to shift from the planned naval expedition to aerial ones, and arranged to charter a plane. He divided the expedition team in two: one part was to survive the winter and prepare for an attempt to fly over the pole. This part was led by Amundsen. The second team on Maud, under the command of Wisting, was to resume the original plan to drift over the North Pole in the ice. The ship drifted in the ice for three years east of the New Siberian Islands, never reaching the North Pole and in a moment of complete irony was finally seized by Amundsen's creditors as collateral for his mounting debt.

The attempt to fly over the Pole failed, too. Amundsen and Oskar Omdal, of the Royal Norwegian Navy, tried to fly from Wainwright, Alaska to Spitsbergen across the North Pole. When their aircraft was damaged, they abandoned the journey. To raise additional funds, Amundsen traveled around the United States in 1924 on a lecture tour. But by 1925, Amundsen was ready to resume operations, and took two Dornier Do J flying boats, the N-24 and N-25, to 87ë 44_Ñ_ north. It was the northernmost latitude reached by plane up to that time. The aircraft landed a few miles apart without radio contact, yet the crews managed to reunite. The N-24 was damaged. Amundsen and his crew worked for more than three weeks to clean up an airstrip to take off from ice. They shoveled 600 tons of ice while consuming only one pound (400 g) of daily food rations. In the end, six crew members were packed into the N-25. In a remarkable feat, Riiser-Larsen took off, and they barely became airborne over the cracking ice. They returned triumphant when everyone thought they had been lost forever.

Finally, in 1926, Amundsen and 15 other men and the Italian air crew finally made the first crossing of the Arctic in the airship Norge; the crew of the Norge would be the first explorers verified to have reached the North Pole. This spectacular photo depicts the momentous event and culmination of 10 years of work.

And as ones fate can never be assessed in advance, and after a life which encountered most every possible travesty, Amundsen, while on a flight rescue mission in the Artic disappeared with five crew on 18 June 1928. To this day, neither his plane nor were the bodies ever found.

Arctica: 1903 Northwest passage, 1918 Northeast passage and 1926 North Pole flight.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. Shipping and handling costs are competitive as we maintain discounted contracts with FedEx. If you have any questions, contact University Archives prior to bidding. After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 5 business days following receipt of full payment for item. We currently ship via FedEx but if your purchase is shipping to a P.O. Box, we ship via USPS. All items are insured. We ship from our offices in Westport, CT. We may opt to use a third party shipper for very fragile, bulky or oversized items. Items requiring third party shipping will be denoted in the item description. Packages shipped internationally will have full value declared on shipping form. International buyers will be responsible for any customs fees incurred.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Westport, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of up to 20% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000