In Honor of Captain Roald Amundsen: Union Club dinner menu

Union Club dinner menu titled "In Honor of Captain Roald Amundsen"

Signed by Roald Amundsen, Sir Ernest Shackleton and Robert Peary on January 15, 1913.

Menu printed on stiff card stock, translucent stains (likely wine or coffee) with original nautical polar scene with watercolors (signed by the artist) in upper right; No chips, tears or folds; debossed bright gilt logo "Stand Fast" in the upper left; all menu lettering in bright gilt. Card dimensions: 5-1/2"w x 8-1/2"ht (32cm x 39.7cm), gilt frame dimensions: 12-5/8"w x 15-5/8"ht (13.8cm x 21.4cm). Signatures of the three explorers in graphite. In Near Fine Condition. Very Rare.

On January 15th, 1913, the Union Club in Philadelphia held a dinner in honor of Captain Roald Amundsen, the Norwegian explorer who led the expedition that conquered the South Pole by achieving that goal along with four expedition members on December 14, 1911.

Also at this event were Admiral Robert E. Peary, the American explorer who led the expedition and who claimed to first reach the North Pole in April 1909, and Sir Ernest Shackleton, the British explorer who commanded the 'Nimrod" Expedition and reached 88º23' S along with three companions in their quest to reach the South Pole. Shackleton would later lead the legendary 'Endurance' expedition in 1914-1915. The three famous explorers, hailed as "The Three Polar Stars", all signed this dinner menu.

The back of the menu features an unidentified signature in graphite ("Olivers Barry"?). I have no further information about this signature other than to speculate this may have been the person who had the card signed by the three explorers at the honorary event.

NOTE: The image of the three explorers is for informational purposes only. Although it will accompany this original menu card, it is a high-resolution copy of the original.