This series consists of black and white photographs taken during Robert E. Peary's explorations of The Arctic from 1898 to 1902 and of his renewed attempts to reach the North Pole. No documentation accompanied the photographs, and there are very few captions or dates. The few captions that do exist appear to have been written in Peary's hand.
For the most part, the photographs in this series show vast areas of unidentified ice packs, ice covered terrain, and waterways. The few exceptions include a view of Cape Louis Napoleon (401-XPX-1898-8892-2). There are also a few photographs of unidentified explorers and team members. Although one such photograph is possibly Matthew Henson, Peary's African-American assistant (XP-XPX-1898-8993-12). Peary departed from Etah, Greenland in 1898 on his first attempt to reach the North Pole (XP-XPX-1898-8985-16). On the west coast of the island, Etah is a known point of departure for polar expeditions. The explorers set sail on the Windward (XP-XPX-1898-8980-1). Peary hoped to sail in the channels between Greenland and Ellesmere Island and set up an advance base at sea from which to make a foray to the Pole. The Windward soon became ice-bound and was unable to continue on the journey. There are several photographs of a ship trapped in ice, which may be the Windward. Peary was forced to abandon his plans and instead decided to use Fort Conger (Grant Land, Ellesmere, Island, Canada) as his advance base. Once again weather conditions interfered with Peary's plans, preventing him from transporting supplies directly to Fort Conger. The expedition found it necessary to winter further south in Cape d'Urville near the Kane Basin. One photograph, identified by Hobbs in his book, shows the landing of supplies at Cape d'Urville (XP-XPX-1898-8874-3).
After conditions improved, the explorers trekked to Fort Conger and found the camp abandoned over a decade earlier by Lt. Adolphus W. Greely and the ill-fated Lady Franklin Bay Expedition. Hobbs identifies two photographs as "Greely's old camp at Fort Conger" (XP-XPX-1898-8987-12) and "Bringing out Greely records from Fort Conger" (XP-XPX-1898-8904-13). Incapacitated by frostbite and other circumstances, Peary forwent an attempt to reach the Pole.
In the Spring of 1900, the expedition again set out for the Pole. This time they traveled along the northern coast of Greenland. On May 16, 1900, Peary reached the northernmost point of the country and named it Cape Morris Jesup (XP-XPX-1898-8894-11), after his most ardent supporter, Morris K. Jesup, president of the American Geographical Society. The group later returned to base without reaching the North Pole.
Peary made another attempt in 1902. This time the team traveled along the coast of Ellesmere Island before venturing onto the ice pack. But, ice conditions again forced him to abandon his plans. The team managed to get as far as the latitude 84 degrees. The occasion is captured in a photograph (XP-XPX-1898-8884-2). Peary noted, "I will, at least, [have] covered more latitude than any other sledge party had even done and will have made all the fight I can." On April 21, 1902, Peary wrote, "My observations show 84 degree[s]... "The game is off. My dream of 16 years is ended".
Other photographs of interest in the series include a cairn flying the Stars and Strips (401-XPX-9002-8); an Eskimo hunter (XP-XPX-1898-426-8; and a camp scene (XP-XPX-1898-8996-1). Also included in the series is a photograph taken by Russell W. Porter, "Debarkment kayak alongside Diana," (XP-XPX-1900-22). The Diana was one of the ships sent to Etah, Greenland by the Peary Arctic Club. The series also contains a tintype of Thomas Scott Dedrick, Jr. and his family circa 1899 (XP-XPX-1899-1). Dedrick was the surgeon on the expedition.
