National Archives Gift Collection of Materials Relating to Polar Regions. 1949 - 1978. Robert E. Peary Family Collection: Photographs Relating to the Nicaragua Canal Surveys

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National Archives Gift Collection of Materials Relating to Polar Regions. 1949 - 1978. Robert E. Peary Family Collection: Photographs Relating to the Nicaragua Canal Surveys

1884-1888

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/542471

This series consists of black and white photographs taken during Robert E. Peary's two trips to Nicaragua. The bulk of material in this series consists of albumen photographs taken during the two survey expeditions. Most of the photographs from the 1884-85 survey are identified by roll letters, D, E, EB, G, H, J, K, L, Q, X, and most are captioned. The subjects include scenes in Panama, Greytown, Granada, field team, personnel, camps, and river views. Selected photographs were submitted with Menocal's "Report of the U.S. Nicaragua Survey Party, 1885" (Senate Ex. Doc. No. 99, 49th Cong. 1st sess.) and others were reproduced in Peary's article "Across Nicaragua with Transit and Machete" National Geographic Magazine Vol. 1, No. 4. Menocal's report refers to many of the instances where Ensign W. I. Chambers, a member of the survey party, took the photographs in this collection. A copy of the report is included with the finding aids. Peary's photographs for the 1887-88 survey are chiefly of field camps, personnel, and reconnaissance views. A number of photographs from this expedition include views of Matthew Henson, who later accompanied Peary on his polar expeditions (folders XP-XPN-14, XP-XPN-19, and XP-XPN-20). In addition to the albumen photographs of this collection, there is a mix of related photographic and photomechanical material. Copies of reproductions for Peary's National Geographic article can be found in this material (folder XP-XPN-23). Also included are copies of photomechanical reproductions relating to reports on the later survey.

10 linear inches

eng, Latn

National Archives at College Park

Information

SNAC Resource ID: 6458601

National Archives at College Park

Related Entities

There are 2 Entities related to this resource.

Peary, Robert Edwin, 1856-1920

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w66z00zw (person)

Robert Edwin Peary Sr. (born May 6, 1856, Cresson, Pennsylvania – died February 20, 1920, Washington, D.C.) was an American explorer and United States Navy officer who made several expeditions to the Arctic in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best known for claiming to have reached the geographic North Pole with his expedition on April 6, 1909. Though born in Pennsylvania, Peary grew up in in Portland, Maine. He went to a prominent boarding school called Loomis Chaffe. He attende...

Henson, Matthew Alexander, 1866-1955

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6q52xs9 (person)

Matthew Alexander Henson (b. August 8, 1866, Nanjemoy, MD, – d. March 9, 1955, The Bronx, New York) was the first African-American Arctic explorer and an associate of Robert Peary on seven voyages over a period of nearly 23 years. Henson served as a navigator and craftsman, traded with Inuit and learned their language, and was known as Peary's "first man" for these arduous travels. During the 1909 expedition to Greenland, Henson accompanied Peary in the small party, including four Inuit men, ...