Lot 50: Herbert Kerr Rooke (British, 1872-1944) 'Nansen and the Fram'

'Nansen and the Fram'
signed 'Herbert K. Rooke' (lower right) and inscribed 'Rouch (sic) Sketch/ Nansen and the Fram'
gouache on board with traces of pencil
37 x 52.5cm (14 9/16 x 20 11/16in).

Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen (1861–1930), Norwegian explorer and scientist, journeyed to the Arctic in a custom-built schooner, the Fram, in 1893. He and Frederick Johansen left the ship and travelled across the ice in an attempt to reach the North Pole. They reached 86°14' N latitude before turning back and arrived back in Christianuia in 1896 to a hero's welcome. Although taken out of service in 1912, the Fram is preserved in the eponymous Fram Museum, Oslo.