Beschreibung:

Important archive of photographs and ephemera relating to the 1901 relief expedition on board the ship Erik.
Archive containing: 305 photographs, 24 glass plate negatives, a wooden trunk used during the expedition, ephemera, and the menu from the Arctic Club's 1902 annual dinner signed by 55 members of the club. Provenance: Herbert Berri (member of the expedition). Comprising: 1) A wooden ships-trunk on which is painted "Peary Arctic Club/ S. S. Erik/ Sydney," with the letter "B" inside a diamond for "Berri" (27" L x 14 H" x 15" W). Condition: some rubbing to paint, chips and light wear. 2) 305 original contact prints on the sheets of a disbounded album held in place by corner guards (each 100 x 125 mm). Condition: some creases, short tears, soiling, and age toning. 305 photographic prints developed on board the ship erik. The first 60 photographs depict members of the Erik and the Windward's crew in both leisurely and formal poses. These include a rare photograph of Peary's African-American assistant, Mathew Henson, Peary's physician and competitor, Dr. Frederick Cook the Inuk, and both Wyckoff and Berri. The next 140 photographs depict the outdoor camps of the crew and the Inuk in various activities, and a rare picture of Peary's daughter Marie known as the "snowbaby," among others including whales and icebergs. The remaining 105 photographs depict places in Canada such as Quebec, Montmorency Falls, and Sydney. 3) 24 gelatin and lactate glass plates, each wrapped in archival paper and in protective boxes. 21 measuring: 100 x 85 mm; 3 measuring 101 x 127 mm. Condition: some light marginal chipping to emulsion, some toning, some light scuffing to emulsion. Four of these plates correspond to photographs found in the album. Notable is a plate of Dr. Cook at the wheel of the Erik. 4) The Arctic Club Dinner Menu from the "Ninth Annual Dinner of Arctic Club, Union Square Hotel, New York, December 27, 1902." Small folio in original printed wrappers (147 x 115 mm). Condition: disbound, chipped with losses, remnants of black tape. signed by 55 members of the club, including arctic outfitters abercrombie & fitch. 5) Newspaper and other ephemera. In the summer of 1901 a relief expedition set out on the Windward in search of arctic explorer Admiral Robert Peary, who had ventured north in 1898. When the Windward did not return and no word was received from Peary, preparations for a third relief expedition were begun. The Peary Arctic Club had been founded in 1898 to enable Peary's explorations. Its wealthy members each promised to pay $1000 per year for four years to keep Peary in supplies and equipment. Now the group was asked to offer an additional $500 for the right to accompany the relief team in search of Peary and his family aboard the ship Erik. The photographs and negatives, wooden trunk, and ephemeral items in this archive belonged to Herbert Berri, a member of the expedition. The most notable person on this voyage was the physician and surgeon Dr. Frederick Church, who was later to become Peary's fierce rival in the discovery of the North Pole. While at leisure at least 6 men on the ship took photographs. The photographs in this group are made from both gelatin dry glass plates and, from notes in Wyckoff's diary, it is known that he purchased lactate dry plates for his camera. Dry plates were advantageous for arctic explorations because they could be pre-treated and negatives could be exposed while on board and stored until they could be processed. The diaries also report that prints were made while on board using contact printing process that required no chemicals. The Erik located Robert Peary and his family aboard the Windward in August of 1901. They learned that Peary had spent the winter at Fort Conger, 200 miles away from his wife and daughter who were stranded aboard the Windward. Although examined by Dr. Cook and urged to leave the arctic by all involved, Peary was determined to stay and did not return with the Erik. Peary would claim to discover the North Pole on a later expedition in April of 1909, writing in his journal, "T