[NORDENSKJÖLD, Otto (1869-1928)]. A group of 8 postcards from the Swedish Polar Expedition, 1901-04 and the Argentine Relief Voyage.

Original photographic postcards, each printed with Spanish captions, some with manuscript annotations in Spanish. The cards depict images of the various relief parties that would eventually rescue all of the Swedish expedition members from the Antarctic.

The Swedish Antarctic expeditionary party, led by Swedish geologist Nils Otto Nordenskjöld, left Gothenburg aboard the aptly named Antarctic on October 16th, 1901, with Norwegian Captain Carl Anton Larsen (1860-1924) at the helm. The ship went on to Buenos Aires, arriving on the 15th of December 1901, where Nordenskjöld received an offer of food, fuel and help from the Argentinean government if the ship took an Argentinean naval officer José Sobral with them; he was also to be a part of the wintering party. They went on via the Falkland Islands sighting King George Island in the South Shetlands on the 10th of January 1902. On their way back north, the ship had become stuck in the sea ice and the crew abandoned the ship and trekked to Paulet Island, enduring two long winters on the Antarctic Peninsula. Both Sweden and Argentina became concerned that the ship had not returned and sent out their rescue ships in search of the crew which included the Uruguay led by Captain Irizar- the ship that would eventually rescue all members of the party in November 1903. A RARE SET of postcards from this little-known rescue and Sweden's first endeavor to Antarctica in the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.