Postcards From Admiral Byrd's Second Antarctic Expedition, 1933 To 1935

From 1933 to 1935, Admiral Byrd and his team explored Antarctica. Among the tasks they did was to run a U.S. post office. It was so significant that President Roosevelt had the U.S. Post Office Department send a postal clerk, Charles F. Anderson, to cancel mail for philatelic collectors at Little America, Antarctica. Among the items he processed were a series of real picture postcards (RPPCs) of events at the Antarctic base.

I have collected 21 unique postcards so far. However, it wasn't until recently that I noticed that some otherwise identical postcards have comments explaining the picture and some do not.

I have 3 questions I've been unable to get answered. 1) How many unique cards are there? 2) Why do some cards have comments and others don't? and 3) All of the cards I have are addressed to a John McNeil at the Beverly Hotel in NY city. Research indicates he was affiliated with the Byrd expedition in some manner but nothing is specific. So, how does John McNeil fit into the narrative for Byrd's Antarctic Expedition?

This an example of one postcard having a comment and its twin does not a have a comment. I have so far found 5 different postcards that are like this.

Interesting cards, but not quite twins, the lower card minus the caption seems to be reversed, are the other 4 different cards also reversed?

Of your 21 unique cards, are they with or without captions?

Seems like you've been collecting these for a while. The length of your search will give you an idea of how many different cards are out there. Six weeks, there's lots of 'em, 6 years, not so many!

And

Are there any other collectors of this set out among the forum membership???

I didn't notice that whoever printed the card reversed the negative for the bottom card.

my first purchases of these postcards began March 2012 on ebay. Every year or so I'd find a new one until about 2018 and then everything was what I already had. So I'm thinking there aren't too many new card designs that I haven't purchased. Those that I have are about evenly split between cards with captions and cards without. I didn't pay much attention until a recent auction that had pictures to match what I had, but the captions were missing. Guess that adds a new variety for me to spend $ on.

Here is the collection of my cards. Forgive the length of this reply.

Great photo cards, which I'd never seen before. I find the photos of the orcas rather chilling! As bad as crossing those crevasses!

I'm guessing from the caption under Admrial Byrd (pic 14) that the pilot was the photographer?

Best of luck in your continuing search.

Very nice group!

My initial reaction is that there are two sets of cards here to interpret separately:

The 13 with labels and copyright notice. Which also brings up the question of "Who is BAE?"

And the 10 without any text.

It would be interesting to see the message side of some of these too. Do the two labeled and unlabeled sub-groups have identical photopaper imprints? Are the postmark date ranges of the two sub-groups overlapped or grouped into two mailing periods?

John,
BAE stands for Byrd Antarctic Expedition.

I agree that the set does break down between those with captions and those without. But my primary goal was to get a card for each of the images. The cancellations further separate the cards into groups of either Jan 30 or Jan 31.

I read that those dated Jan 30, 1934 put on a boat that got them back to the states. Those dated Jan 31, 1934 were held at the South Pole and had to wait a year to get back to the states as seen by the Mar 25 1935 receipt cancellation.

Here is a cover from my collection without cachet (not on boat trip) but with auxiliary marking
Don

littleriverphil,

It's hard to know who took the pictures. On Byrd's second expedition, he and his Ice Team comprised 61 brave men with no known individual designated as photographer.

Of note, during Byrd's First Antarctic Expedition he took along two cameramen, Willard Van der Veer and Joseph T. Rucker. Of note, the documentary, With Byrd at the South Pole, won a 1930 Oscar for Best Cinematography.

Your reply is unclear to me.
Are all those with captions posted on one day or split between both days?
Similarly, are all those without caption posted on one day or split between both days?

To clarify my earlier post, I believe based on 40 years of postcard collecting and often sorting by publishers and serial numbers, that the titles and copyright notices are a very significant difference. I still see two very distinct sets here. Also, postcards are typically issued in sets of some logical number for marketing or press-sheet size.
13 with labels would not point to being a complete set.
10 without labels might be complete, although I would doubt it.
A combined total of 23 would not point toward completion either, nor would the mix of the labeling.

I think you will find a few more of both styles. I would not be surprised to find ads in contemporary newspapers or magazines selling these sets of cards.

This card is the mirror image of one of the tent you show:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/334789724755

Interesting all. Thanks for sharing. I have a fondness for sled dogs.
pat

The picture postcards are fantastic! What a cool part of the B.A.E. story.




I have a couple of Little America cancellations.

One has the same auxiliary marking about the year long delay.
It also has the same JAN 31 830 PM 1934 date stamp for departure.
To me, the 8 looks like it is upside-down.
It appears that way in all of the 830PM time stamps in this post.

I have another with a JAN 30 12-M 1935 date stamp for departure.



They both arrive in San Francisco MAR 25 11-AM 1935.



The one that was delayed for a year contains a hand written letter, dated Sept 24, 1933.



It appears that mail left from Little America only on these one or two days at the end of January each year. Are there any other date stamps that would indicate otherwise? Does anyone know the significance of these end of January dates? Scheduled resupply plane? Members of the expedition leaving? The end of January, being the dead of summer down there, seems like the timing for weather considerations was spot on. However "difficulties in transportation" still occurred.

I cannot imagine information moving so slow these days...
Chris

Another interesting tidbit from my collection regarding the souvenir sheet issue as it relates to the 1934 National Stamp Exhibition...



These two covers are (self?)addressed to Dr. Harry C. Ioor, enthusiastic cachet artist and creator of this particular cachet.
More info on the good doctor: https://www.rhodesianstudycircle.org.uk/?s=ioor

Seems odd that these would be date stamped on different days.

Chris

They have the same date, but a different canceller.

Of course. You are right.
I saw the date under the month on the larger envelope:

FEB
10
11 AM

and my mind put the date under the month from the smaller envelope.

FEB 10
11 AM

No wonder that did not make sense.
Doh! Thanks for pointing out the obvious...
Chris

Here is some additional information, including Adm. Byrd, the expeditions, and the exhibition.
The post cards mentioned by OP are even further explained.


A Philatelic Introduction to B.A.E. II: The Stamps by Paul Skowron, ASPP
www.south-pole.com/p0000142.htm

Additional study turned up a letter that spoke to the origin of the Byrd Expedition picture postcards. It seems the intent of the cards was to generate revenue for the expedition. Unfortunately, the portion of the letter that describes the numbers and subjects of the individual cards is missing as well as the identity of the writer of the letter. Perhaps someone in SCF has that or more information.

Here is the content of the letter and a link to its location.

BYRD ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION ii


Hotel Beverly
50th Street – Lexington Avenue
New York

Capt. Robert A. J. English
SS Bear of Oakland
c/o Postmaster, Dunedin, N. Z.

Dear Bob;

As this was a last minute thought, we had to work frantically to catch the last boat from San Francisco that could reach you before your departure from New Zealand.

We have sent you to Dunedin in two special mail sacks, 10,038 post card photographs. These will be extremely valuable to us when they have been properly stamped and cancelled and returned to us in New York. We have also sent you 10,000 3¢ Expedition postage stamps to be attached to these cards.

We know we are asking for a lot, but, the finances of the Expedition must be helped in every possible way and we see an opportunity in the cards for considerable revenue. We are naturally not going to ask compliance with our following request without expecting to compensate you in some way for the work involved. This we can agree on later. Therefore, may we ask you to do the following with the cards. (handwritten addition, "Anyone can sign your name")

We are enclosing copy for a rubber stamp to be made in New Zealand immediately. This is to be applied to every card as per enclosed sample. This card is to be signed in ink by you as Captain, in the space above "SS BEAR OF OAKLAND". All cards to be addressed with a light pencil to John McNeil, Beverly Hotel, New York City, N. Y. Carry them to "Little America. Have the postage stamps cancelled in the regular way by the Expedition Postmaster. Have them packed in their original containers and returned to us in a sealed International sack, addressed to Donald G. Shook, Manager-Little America Cover Bureau, Washington, D. C., with the first mail out of Little America.

Unless the rubber stamp is carefully applied and unless the Little America cancellation stamp is carefully applied, the card will lose a great deal of its value. This is also true so far as your personal signature is concerned. Naturally, it would be much easier to rubber stamp your name but this would lack any definite certification of the card's historic journey.

We enclose a list of the cards and the number of each subject. All packages are marked as to contents, different subjects are marked with either a letter or a number.

Kindest regards, as always, Sincerely,
(Note: signature has been cut from the bottom of the letter)

(Handwritten note in left margin of letter, "Put the address of John McNeil etc as far down in the Right hand corner as possible")

Citation:
Worthpoint, "Item 1933 LETTER...TO CAPT. R. ENGLISH FROM JOHN MCNEIL,BYRD ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION II, image 2 of 4". Accessed November 29, 2023. https://www.worthpoint.com/worthope...-1937201203.