Fridtjof Nansen in photographs

Location: museum exhibition halls

Fridtjof Nansen (1861-1930) - a legendary traveler, a great polar explorer, a scientist, a talented artist and an excellent athlete, he could have become a Nobel laureate thanks to his scientific achievements, but he became a laureate of the Nobel Peace Prize, which was awarded to him in 1922.

2023 marks 130 years since the start of Fridtjof Nansen's expedition on the Fram, which lasted more than three years and made Nansen a national hero of Norway. The goal of the expedition was to explore the high latitudes of the Arctic and reach the geographic North Pole. In the end, Fridtjof Nansen and Hjalmar Johansen skied further than anyone before, reaching 86° 13’ 36’’ N. sh.; on the way back, Nansen discovered several islands of the Franz Josef Land archipelago, located within the borders of present-day Russia. Polar explorers around the world greatly benefited from the experience and knowledge gained during the expedition of the famous Norwegian. It was not without reason that in 1896 he was elected an honorary member of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society.

To coincide with the start date of the expedition, the Paulsen publishing house timed the publication of the book “Nansen in Photographs” by the director of the Fram Museum in Oslo, Geir O. Clover. The book is based on all known photographs taken during the expedition and Nansen's subsequent lecture tour, as well as excerpts from the diaries of all members of the Fram crew. The process of creating the vessel (from the first drawings to launching) is shown through Nansen's correspondence with shipbuilder Colin Archer and is also richly illustrated.

The exhibition will feature reproductions of some rare photographs taken during preparations for the voyage and during Nansen's expedition; and also briefly and succinctly tells about the stages of the expedition and its routes.

Nansen on board the motor ship "Omul" on the way up the Yenisei.

Captain Johan Samuelsen and Fridtjof Nansen on the bridge aboard the steamship Correct. Kara Sea, August 1913

Eva and Fridtjof Nansen at the Pylhögda estate. Fireplace Hall. 1901–1907

"Fram" in the ice. January 1895