Erich
von Drygalski
First German
Antarctic Expedition
1901-03
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Mail from the first German Antarctic continent expedition, led
by Erich von Drygalski. The cover is addressed to Dr. Carl Chun,
leader of the 1898-99 German sub-Antarctic expedition aboard VALDIVIA.
The GAUSS was en route back to Germany, stopping
at Durban, Union of South Africa, 3 June 1903, after becoming
the second vessel to winter in the Antarctic.
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First use
of dated-name marking from any French Antarctic territory site
on this first mail from the Kerguelen-group during the FIRST
GERMAN ANTARCTIC (GAUSS) EXPEDITION 1901-03.
This expedition printed card and other first mail dispatches were
taken from Kerguelen on 21 December 1901 by North German Lloyd
(NDL) vessel TANGLIN. This ship was contracted
by the expedition to transport initial group members (who had
been brought from Germany aboard another NDL vessel, KARLSRUHE)
from Sydney to Kerguelen on 9 November 1901, shown in the straight
line cache. The German ship postmark of 10 January 1902 was applied
by NDL Australische Hauptlinie vessel FRIEDRICH DE GROSSE,
upon receiving TANGLIN mail at Sydney for carraige
back to Germany (leaving Sydney 8 days later). The card has a
Dusseldorf (destination) receipt stamp of 25 February 1902.
(Courtesy
of Herb & Janice Harvis)
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Sent by expedition
scientist Dr.Karl Luyken, one of four out of five in Kerguelen
group to survive the 1-1/2 year stay
(Wharton BA-4)
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Otto
Nordenskjöld
Swedish National Expedition
1901-03
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Mail
from a crewmember aboard S.Y.
ANTARCTIC of
the nearly disastrous 1901-03 Swedish Antarctic expedition,
while at Buenos Aires, canceled there 10 February 1902 with
the expedition ship's oval cachet and receipt backstamp in Stockholm,
7 March 1902, while the expedition was heading south to its
winter quarters and eventual sinking.
(Courtesy
of George Hall)
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The failure
of the Swedish National Antarctic Expedition to return after two
winters called for a search party. The Argentine naval ship
URUGUAY, under the command of Captain Julian Irizar,
recovered the party from Snow Hill Island in 1903.
The Swedish
expedition ship S.Y. ANTARCTIC was crushed in the
Weddell Sea and the entire party was trapped until the Argentine
rescue team arrived. (Wharton CD-1a)
(Courtesy
of Herb & Janice Harvis)
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Robert
Falcon Scott
British
National Antarctic Expedition
1901-04
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Under
the command of Captain Robert F. Scott, DISCOVERY sailed
from London on July 31, 1901. From postcard publishers E. Wrench,
of London, four cards were printed for the "Links of the
Empire" collection. For a subscription price of two shillings,
each card would be posted at a suitable port of call during
the expedition and directed to the subscriber's address. Every
card would also carry a cancellation of S.S. DISCOVERY.
This is the first of the series (Wharton DA-1), posted on the
departure date of DISCOVERY.
(Courtesy
of Gary Pierson)
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A base camp
was established in McMurdo Sound in February 1902 for the British
Antarctic Expedition. Subsequently, the ice locked the ship in
place for two seasons. With relief ships standing by to evacuate
them, the ice released them in February 1904.
Special cards
printed for the use of the crew were hand carried to England where
they were placed in the mails. (Wharton DC-1)
(Courtesy
of George Hall)
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When the expedition
ship DISCOVERY finally broke free of the ice, a
variety of letters were mailed from New Zealand. Special postmarks
were not used, although letters from the DISCOVERY
carried a mark that looked like a postmark, but did not cancel
any stamps. (Wharton DA-4)
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William S. Bruce
Scottish
National Antarctic Expedition
1902-04
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A
1903 picture postcard of the SCOTIA in Scotia
Bay, South Orkneys. Addressed to Dr. Pirie, the expedition's
physician. This expedition led to the establishment of the first
Antarctic post office when Bruce's station on Laurie Island
was transferred to Argentina.
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Another fine
example . . .
Argentina
established the first Antarctic post office on Laurie Island upon
the termination of the work of the Scottish National Antarctic
Expedition program. A meteorological staff came with fully authorized
postal authority. The cancellation indicates the office is in
the southernmost district of Argentina. (Wharton EC-1862)
"Memento of taking over
the Scottish station on Laurie Island by the Argentine party."
(Courtesy
of George Hall)
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A simple message
from the ship's captain, Thomas Robertson, mentions his ship,
S.Y. SCOTIA, on this postcard mailed at Port Stanley,
Falkland Islands on 21 February 1904. The vessel, from the Scottish
National Antarctic Expedition, was en route to Buenos Aires after
wintering on Laurie Island in the South Orkney Islands. William
S. Bruce and the crew of the SCOTIA became the
first to explore the vicinity of the Weddell Sea.
(Courtesy
of the Herb & Janice Harvis)
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Jean-Baptiste
Charcot signed FRANÇAIS Antarctic Expedition
postcards (Wharton FB-3); canceled EN ROUTE (above)
at Ushuaia, Argentina, on 3 January 1904 . . .
(Courtesy of Herb & Janice Harvis)
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. . and ON RETURN (above) to Buenos Aires, 3 April
1905. This expedition surveyed the western side of the Antarctic
Peninsula. (Wharton FB-2)
(Courtesy of Herb & Janice Harvis) |
Jean Charcot
(signed) led this privately financed French scientific party to
Antarctica during 1903-05. The LES FRANÇAIS
arrived in Buenos Aires in December 1903 where special postcards
were printed (Wharton XLN-37) for use of expedition members. Outgoing
mail was dispatched during resupply visits to South American ports.
(Courtesy
of George Hall)
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