Rare Richard E. Byrd Signed piece of the installation from the South Pole

Piece of insulation signed by Byrd. Measures approximately two by one inches. WITH: Lengthy printed letter by Byrd explaining insulation’s provenance Boston: May 10, 1936. One parchment leaf, writing on recto only. Measures approximately 8-1/2 by 11 inches.

Piece of insulation signed by Byrd and accompanied by a printed letter from him.

Byrd was the first man to fly over the South Pole, a feat he accomplished on Thanksgiving Day, November 28th, 1929, while on his First Antarctic Expedition. His Second Antarctic Expedition took place from 1933-1935, and was significant for the seismic data collected, for being the first voices transmitted from Little America and broadcast on CBS radio, for the expedition’s research into cosmic rays and meteors, and for the important research the team conducted on weather patterns. Byrd also used automotive power to pronounced effect—he was able to set up motor-driven generating plants so that Little America had electrical power. He returned to New York from this trip on May 10, 1935, one year before the writing of this letter.

The letter reads: “Boston Mass., May 10, 1936. On this anniversary of our return from the South Pole regions, I want to express to you my deep and enduring appreciation of the assistance you rendered our second Antarctic Expedition—which helped to make it possible for us to serve more than twenty branches of science and map and take possession of thousands of square miles of new territory for the United States. Attached to this sheet is an autographed piece of insulation from the wall of the advance meteorological Base the southernmost habitation ever occupied by man. In gratitude and friendship. Richard Byrd. Commander B.A.E.II.” The attached piece of insulation is metallic. It is signed by Byrd in black marker.

Piece of insulation with signature. Letter with light foxing, one crease starting. A near-fine copy.

Richard Byrd Jr. (October 25, 1888 – March 11, 1957) was an American naval officer and explorer. He was a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the highest honor for valor given by the United States, and was a pioneering American aviator, polar explorer, and organizer of polar logistics. Aircraft flights in which he served as a navigator and expedition leader crossed the Atlantic Ocean, a segment of the Arctic Ocean, and a segment of the Antarctic Plateau. Byrd claimed that his expeditions had been the first to reach both the North Pole and the South Pole by air. His claim to have reached the North Pole is disputed. He is also known for discovering Mount Sidley, the largest dormant volcano in Antarctica.

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