Belgian Antarctic expedition.

C. 354 photos, 9,1 x 12,3 cm, b/w, some in colour, pasted in with corners, dates on lower photo mounts.

Obl. 4to ad hoc album in simili leather (spine repaired).

Photographic journal of the second Belgian Antarctic expedition (1957-1959) made by Gaston de Gerlache (1919-2006), Belgian polar explorer and son of Adrien de Gerlache (1866-1934) and among others Ezra Edgard Picciotto, glaciologist and lecturer at the University of Brussels. In the 1950s, plans were made for a new Belgian expedition to the South Pole in the context of participation in the International Geophysical Year. It was Gaston de Gerlache, son of the illustrious polar adventurer Adrien de Gerlache, who took the helm of the project as initiator and expedition leader. King Leopold III and reigning King Baudouin granted their patronage to the project. The mission's goal was to establish a research station on the Antarctic mainland and make observations from there. However, the station would only have a temporary function. In an area where temperatures dropped to minus 80 degrees and winds reached 240 kilometers per hour, it was not possible to build permanent observation stations. On 12 November 1957, the Norwegian icebreakers Polarhav and Polarsirkel (see photos) started their journey. On board was a team of scientists. The meteorological department was populated by Baron Xavier de Maere d’Aertrycke and his two technical assistants Michel Vanderdoodt and the young Georges Vandepoel. Engineer Lucien Cabes was the geomagnetism expert on duty. Agricultural engineer Jacques Giot would assist with topographical questions. Picciotto would study snow and ice, but he was also an expert in atmospheric radioactivity, which had rarely been studied in the polar region. Henri Vandevelde would conduct research into the ionospheric layers in the atmosphere. Finally, geodesy expert Jacques Loodts would conduct research into the Southern Lights. The expedition was equipped with all the necessary scientific equipment and sounding devices. In addition, there were three tracked vehicles, an aircraft and a helicopter on board. In addition to scientists, there were also helmsmen, a cook, a doctor, several mechanics and an aerial photographer and pilot, the Prince Antoine de Ligne, on board the icebreakers. De Maere was not only a meteorologist but also second captain. It took de Gerlache a good month to reach the Antarctic waters. Two days after Christmas, the two expedition ships arrived in Queen Maud Land. They finally docked in a disembarkation bay in a piece of uncharted Southern territory that they named King Leopold III Bay. After this, the main work of the mission began: the construction of the science station, named after King Baudouin. The base would also serve as a wintering place for the seventeen-man crew after the ships had set sail again. The album provides a very interesting insight into the goings-on of the expedition on different levels: travels on the Antarctic waters, encounters with Antarctic birds, seals and penguins, disembarkation at the South Pole, the use of the tracked vehicles, helicopter and aircraft, the constructions of the research station, portraits of the expedition team, the polar dogs, the interior of the base (dining room, bed room, working stations and work ateliers), a member of the team "getting a haircut", the operation of a polar dog, a festive meal, a sledge ride, Antarctic landscapes, etc.
Ref. www.bestor.be/wiki_nl/index.php/Koning_Boudewijnbasis.
Prov. E. Picciotto (ms. entry on front flyleaf).