Seattle's Nordic Heritage Museum in Ballard is celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Roald Amundsen's South Pole Expedition. On Dec. 14, 1911, the Norwegian explorer and the crew of the Fram were the first explorers to reach the South Pole.
Cold Recall: Reflections of a Polar Explorer opened Dec. 9, 2011 and runs through Feb. 5, 2012. It showcases images from the hand-colored lantern slides that Roald Amundsen used during public lectures of his expedition to the South Pole. It also includes original film footage of the expedition: images of daily life aboard the Fram, humorous scenes of the expedition's dogs, and the unusual landscape and such exotic animals as penguins that the crew encountered.
Texts from Amundsen's own manuscripts give a compelling first-person account of his journey. After his expedition to the South Pole, Amundsen took his show on the road, giving more than 175 lectures in Great Britain and the United States. The proceeds helped pay off his bills and fund future expeditions.
To celebrate the centennial of Amundsen's achievement as the first person to reach the South Pole, the Nordic Heritage Museum is hosting a reception on Wednesday, Dec. 14 from 6-8 PM with a lecture at 7 PM by Erik Sundholm: Amundsen's Quest for the South Pole (and how it brought him to Seattle). Sundholm holds a master's degree in Scandinavian area studies from the University of Washington.
Sundholm's presentation should be of particular interest to Seattleites, as it will highlight Amundsen's stay in the city during the 1920s. This was a pivotal time in the explorer's career, and will shed light on this enigmatic person, one of Norway's most famous personalities. Registration is necessary for the reception at rsvp@nordicmuseum.org or 206.789.5707, ext 10.
The exhibition at the Nordic Heritage Museum was produced by the Fram Museum in Oslo, Norway.
Comments