Beschreibung:

includes a collection of over 500 black and white silver gelatin photographs, from Byrd's Antarctic Expedition, nearly all marked at margins in negative with title, (usually the location), date, time, altitude, temperature and number. In addition many have inked notations directly on the prints showing expedition members. Images range in size from 7" square to 5" x 7.5". Subjects include actual photographic contact prints of trail and flight log books, glaciers, south pole, mountain ranges, rifts, ice flows, coastal views, base locations and much more, some truly spectacular views, from all seasons. Also includes photos of the Condor, the biplane used to take most of the images in the collection. The photo archive also includes a composite 11" x 14" photograph with all the members of the March 2nd 1940 to March 22 1941 expedition stationed at the East Base, two small portraits of Black from same period, two later 8" x 10" navy portrait of Black in uniform, a touching 8" x 10' portrait of Francis, his son standing at a CBS microphone with headphones on talking to his father Richard who was then in Little America, Antarctica dated 1934 and more. The manuscript material in the archive includes a diary kept by Black from the 1933-35 Byrd Antarctic Expedition II. This is a 12mo in black leather with 365 lined pages, nearly all completely filled with penciled account of the expedition. During this his first trip to Antarctica, his wife, Carolyn (Ruth) Schlaberg Black died on Jan. 21, 1934, leaving him a widower with a five-year-old son. At the rear of the diary Black copied the tombstone inscription, which was to be placed on his wife's marker with notes that if he did not survive and the diary was recovered this inscription should be placed on her marker. On page 133 of this diary Black writes: Finished Antarctic chart on parchment, except for the courses of ships and next years operations. It will be quite nice, I think. (see Lot 1723 this sale) He also writes of some of the other craft work he made during this trip such as the Viking ship (see below). Diary has considerable detail about the work done and the other expedition members and social life of the base. The second diary is a slightly larger 12mo in green cloth boards with green leather spine on unnumbered pages. This diary was written to his son Francis and begins Jan.19, 1934 aboard the Bear of Oakland. The first few pages are an account of the news of his dear wife's illness and then death in San Francisco, while he was bound for Antarctica aboard the above mentioned vessel. Truly a heart-wrenching and poetic introduction; must be read to appreciate. It continues as a running letter to his son detailing he and his wife Ruth's meeting as childhood neighbors, meeting again at UND where they fell in love and were engaged to be married. Other Ms papers in this archive include several copies and 1st draft of a TD entitled Geographical Discoveries and Scientific Results of East Base, United States Antarctic Service Expedition 1939-1941 by Richard Blackburn Black, PLUS a file containing a large number of TDsS and other DS dealing with the then-forthcoming book by Paul Siple entitled 90 Degrees South: The Story of The American South Pole Conquest a text at the time highly critical of the U.S. Antarctic Services by a former member of same. These documents appear to be an attempt at damage control and include a TDS review of the book by Black and another file with a very long and friendly TDS from Black to Siple. Another file contains ca 12 poems written by Black, including one on Antarctica, and two written around Baker Island near Tarawa Island in the Pacific Ocean during his WWII service; PLUS a small French map of Antarctica, entitled Continent Meridional Austral ov Antarctique with a pen and watercolor mat likely drawn by Black with a poem by Jean Kenyon McKenzie below the map. Map is ca 4.5" x 6", frame is 10.25" x 15.25"; PLUS a 15.3" x 22.5" Ms map drawn and signed by bla