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North Pole Narratives
UMBC’s Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery presents North Pole Narratives: Photographs from the Wendorff Collection on Robert E. Peary, on display from February 14 through May 20.
At the turn of the twentieth century, an international race was under way to be the first to reach the geographic North Pole. On April 6, 1909, American explorer Robert E. Peary (1856–1920) claimed to have clenched the title. This exhibition revisits Peary’s Arctic expeditions through photographs in UMBC’s Wendorff Collection. Used to illustrate Peary’s published accounts of his journey, the photographs bear his editing marks, revealing how the explorer shaped his own narrative of discovery. Analyzing these images against changing societal values and information uncovered since 1909 allows the images and events they depict to be viewed through a new lens.
Visitor Information
Admission is free.
Library Gallery hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Thursday: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.