Explorers

Peary, Robert E. (Robert Edwin), 1856-1920

Creation Date

1908-08-17

Creator(s)

Letter from Whitelaw Reid to Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt

Ambassador Reid writes to Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt, describing three dinners he recently attended which were hosted by the Chinese Minister, the Pilgrim’s Society, and the Royal Geographical Society, respectively. Reid includes anecdotes about British politicians like Prime Minister Henry Campbell-Bannerman, Winston Churchill, Augustine Birrell, John Morley, and George Curzon. Reid also references issues associated with the education bill, the administration of India, “trouble” in Natal, and negotiations with Russia over Seistan. Reid felt that the details he included might be of interest to Roosevelt.

Collection

Reid, Whitelaw, 1837-1912

Creation Date

1906-04-12

Creator(s)

Letter from Henry Cabot Lodge to Theodore Roosevelt

Senator Lodge writes to President Roosevelt about the Bowen-Loomis-Bowen affair and other political activities. Lodge also updates Roosevelt on what’s happening in Newfoundland, Canada, and Baffin Bay, possibly related to an expedition to the area that occurred later in the year. Lodge sends his best to Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt and forwards well wishes from his wife Nannie.

Collection

Lodge, Henry Cabot, 1850-1924

Creation Date

1905-05-12

Creator(s)

The steamer Roosevelt

The SS Roosevelt as it left Oyster Bay, New York, for Commander Peary’s Arctic expedition. The edges of the postcard are decorated with illustrations of Arctic scenes. The description printed on the back of the postcard describes the ship landing at North Star Bay in Greenland after sailing through “thick fogs and heavy ice drifts.”

Collection

Creation Date

1909

Creator(s)

Commander Peary on steamer “Roosevelt”

Commander Peary leans on the deck of the SS Roosevelt. Peary is wearing a fur trimmed coat, gloves, and pants. The edges of the postcard are decorated with illustrations of Arctic scenes. The back of the postcard features a description of the photograph, explaining that Peary has just left Upernavik in Greenland and is looking into the “land of the unknown.” Peary was an arctic explorer and claimed he and his expedition crew were the first to reach the geographic North Pole on April 8, 1909. This claim is still controversial.

Collection

Creation Date

1909

Creator(s)

President Roosevelt bidding Peary God speed

President Roosevelt shakes hands with Commander Peary before Peary sets sail from Oyster Bay, New York, for his Arctic expedition in July 1908. The edges of the postcard are decorated with illustrations of Arctic scenes. The description printed on the back of the postcard says Peary successfully completed his “dash for the pole” on April 8, 1909. Frederick A. Cook announced on September 1, 1909, that he had reached the North Pole on April 21, 1908.

Collection

Creation Date

1909

Creator(s)

Peary’s ship the “Roosevelt” and throng bidding him farewell at Oyster Bay

A crowd of people on the deck of the SS Roosevelt. A drawing of the ship itself is inset in the top left corner. The description printed on the back of the card tells of Peary’s exploration of the Arctic Ocean and “dash” for the North Pole, which involved “repeated efforts by daring men and the sacrifice of hundreds of lives in the cause of science.”

Collection

Creation Date

1909

Creator(s)

Steamer “Roosevelt” ice bound

The SS Roosevelt is stuck in ice. The edges of the postcard are decorated with illustrations of Arctic scenes. The description on the back of the postcard describes the ship as “but an eggshell in [the icebergs’] grasp.” The men on Commander Peary’s arctic expedition had to be willing to sacrifice their lives for the “great work” of the exploration.

Collection

Creation Date

1909

Creator(s)

Capt. Bartlett and crew of the steamer “Roosevelt”

The crew of the SS Roosevelt, which sailed on an expedition to the North Pole from 1908 to 1909. The edges of the postcard are decorated with illustrations of Arctic scenes. The description on the back of the postcard explains that Captain Bob Bartlett is the man standing on the far right, below the “X”.

Collection

Creation Date

1909

Creator(s)

Overdoing things – the tendency of the day

This vignette cartoon depicts the tendency of Americans to overdo everything, such as hosting “large receptions in small houses,” women’s fashions and their “elevation and advancement idea,” “Arctic exploration,” the “forcing process with our children’s educations,” and the “Bicycle Boom.” Caption: A few random examples of the general tendency towards overdoing things, viz.: overdone fashions, overdone county fair exhibits, overdone high buildings, overdone Sunday editions, etc., etc.

Collection

Ehrhart, S. D. (Samuel D.), approximately 1862-1937

Creation Date

1896-01-15

Creator(s)

“Take the belt, old sport! We can’t any of us talk in your class”

A group of boxers stands behind a large boxer who is giving Arctic explorer Robert E. Peary a jeweled belt labeled “Championship.” Papers, probably from Peary’s lectures, extend from a pocket of his fur coat. They state “Cook’s a faker,” “I’ll show him up,” and “Bluff.” (Cartoon probably refers to boxers being known for their pre-fight taunting bluster.)

Collection

Glackens, L. M. (Louis M.), 1866-1933

Creation Date

1909-10-06

Creator(s)

With Hudson up the Hudson

Henry Hudson and crew on the ship Halve Maen (Half Moon) sail up the Hudson River and trade with natives along the way. Vignettes show scenes of what Hudson might witness if he returned 300 years later for the Hudson-Fulton Celebration. Caption: His original visit and some possibilities should he return for the celebration.

Collection

Crawford, Will, 1869-1944

Creation Date

1909-09-29

Creator(s)

Science, or sport? – A modern spectacle after an old model

A group of explorers of the polar regions, representing discovery and exploration, float on an ice floe. They may all be on the verge of death. Weighing judgment are James Gordon Bennett of the New York Herald and several European heads of state sitting in an area labeled “Reserved for J. G. Bennett and other Crowned Heads,” as well as a group of men seated in an area labeled “In the Name of Science – More! More!” This latter group has already pronounced judgment by giving the “Thumbs Down” sign. Notices pasted on the walls of the arena state “Kane died 1853, Franklin died 1850, Hall died 1871, [and] G. W. De Long 1882” referring to explorers who died in the name of science.

Collection

Keppler, Joseph Ferdinand, 1838-1894

Creation Date

1882-05-31

Creator(s)

Letter from Bellamy Storer to Theodore Roosevelt

Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Austria-Hungary Bellamy Storer informs President Roosevelt of a recent visit by King of the Belgians Léopold II. Storer discusses tensions in the Congo between the British and Belgian governments and European colonization in the Congo, referencing editorials in The Times, the Treaty of Berlin, the French explorer Pierre Savorgnon de Brazza, and rumors of Belgian atrocities in Congo, using Belgian explorer Henry M. Stanley as an exemplar.

Collection

Storer, B. (Bellamy), 1847-1922

Creation Date

1903-10-22

Creator(s)

Letter from Luther S. Kelly to Theodore Roosevelt

Luther S. Kelly has just returned from the Harriman Expedition to Alaska. The expedition went well. The expedition discovered a new inlet on Prince William Sound and killed one of the famous Kodiak bears. Kelly is also sorry to hear that in his absence all of the volunteer appointments to the Army have been filled leaving him unable to reenter the service.

Collection