Artifacts
Paintings and rare historical artifacts from these expeditions place visitors in the midst of Antarctic exploration and research at the dawn of the last century. Highlights included clothing and equipment used by both crews during their journeys.
Amundsen and his men brought nine chronometers—very accurate timepieces—with them, including six watches like the one shown. This particular chronometer belonged to Amundsen. Explorers and mariners use chronometers to help determine their exact location.
© AMNH/C. Chesek
Amundsen's Chronometer:
Amundsen and his men brought nine chronometers—very accurate timepieces—with them, including six watches like the one shown. This particular chronometer belonged to Amundsen. Explorers and mariners use chronometers to help determine their exact location. © AMNH/C. Chesek
Amundsen’s gun:
No land wildlife lives permanently in Antarctica, though seals, penguins, and other birds return to the coasts to mate or molt. Both the Norwegian and British teams sometimes shot wildlife to feed themselves and their dogs. This shotgun belonged to Amundsen.
© AMNH/C. Chesek
Amundsen’s sledge:
Sledges were crucial—they carried the men’s food, fuel, clothing, and sleeping bags. This sledge belonged to Amundsen’s team; Scott’s sledges were nearly identical. For the voyage to the Pole, this 11.4-foot (3.5 meter) sledge would be loaded with a whopping 668 pounds (303 kilograms) of food, including heavy loads of dried meat (pemmican) and cocoa, 5,300 biscuits, and 372 rations for the dogs. © AMNH/C. Chesek
Amundsen’s binoculars:
These binoculars likely went with Roald Amundsen to the Pole. Inscriptions on the faceplate list where and when some of his accomplishments took place—such as being the first to travel the Northwest Passage (1904-06), the second to the Northeast Passage (1918-1922), and first to the South Pole (1911).
© AMNH/C. Chesek
Fram cup:
Aboard Amundsen’s ship the Fram, an egalitarian spirit ruled. Regardless of rank, each man had his own cabin, decorated to his own taste. The men all ate and drank together using enamel dishes and cups labeled with the ship’s name.
© AMNH/C. Chesek
An Ancient Reptile:
This beautifully preserved specimen is a fossil reptile relative called Procolophon trigoniceps, found in 240-million-year-old sediments exposed along the Shackleton glacier of Antarctica. Fossils of an essentially identical species also occur in South Africa-evidence that Africa and Antarctica were once connected. The presence of this animal in Antarctica is also evidence that the climate was once very different from that of today. Note the bones of its fingers; some experts think Procolophon was a digging animal.
© AMNH/D. Finnin
Paintings and rare historical artifacts from these expeditions place visitors in the midst of Antarctic exploration and research at the dawn of the last century. Highlights included clothing and equipment used by both crews during their journeys.