Scope and Content Note
The papers of Finn Ronne (1899-1980) and Edith M. ("Jackie") Ronne (1919-2009) span the years 1900-2012, with the bulk of the material dating from 1934 to 1980. The papers are in English with some Norwegian and are organized into the following series: Alphabetical File, Correspondence, Expeditions, Photographs, Speeches and Writings, Classified, and Oversize.
The papers are focused on the Antarctic expeditions of the Ronnes and the writings, lectures, awards and honors, and other activities related to their Antarctic experiences. As a result of this fine focus, the papers, though organized into series, are highly interconnected. Material related to Finn Ronne's expeditions are naturally in the Expeditions file, but most of the photographs of the expeditions are in the Photographs series, writings and lectures concerning the expeditions are in Speeches and Writings, and both the Alphabetical file and Correspondence file have expedition-related material in folders with a subject name or personal name. Prominent individuals represented in the papers include Richard Evelyn Byrd, Lincoln Ellsworth, Lowell Thomas, and Sir George H. Wilkins. Some additional subjects that are represented throughout the papers include cross-country skiing in Antarctica, dog sledding, and women in Antarctica.
The Alphabetical File contains files on a variety of topics including biographical material, Navy personnel files, awards and honors, organizations such as the Explorers Club in New York City, files concerning individuals, and files on trips (not expeditions) to the Arctic and Antarctic, including Antarctic cruises, their 1971 South Pole trip with the Navy, and a trip to Spitsbergen. The series includes a handful of small maps; a large collection of maps, many annotated or drawn, has been transferred to the Geography and Map division.
The Correspondence file contains a chronological run of letters as well as folders with names of individuals or organizations. Edith "Jackie" Ronne's family correspondence is in this series, beginning from her childhood years, as is her correspondence with Finn Ronne, including radio messages sent to Antarctica during his 1957 International Geophysical Year expedition. Finn Ronne's father, Martin Rønne, who was on Roald Amundsen's South Pole expedition and Byrd's first Antarctic expedition, has folders in both the Correspondence series and the Alphabetical file.
The Expeditions series is the heart of the collection. The material is primarily organized around Finn Ronne's four major Antarctic expeditions: the Byrd Antarctic Expedition II (1933-1935), the United States Antarctic Service Expedition (1939-1941), the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition "R.A.R.E." (1946-1948), and Operation Deep Freeze during the International Geophysical Year (1957-1958). Finn Ronne's primary activity in Antarctica was exploration for mapping, by skiing, dog sled, and by airplane. In his first two expeditions, Ronne logged herculean miles through the Antarctic by ski and dog sled gathering cartographic information on the Antarctic Peninsula and the Weddell Sea coast. The R.A.R.E. expedition continued investigations of the same areas using trimetrogon photography for aerial photogrammetry. Flight logs, documents on the equipment used, a collection of the aerial photographs, and reports on the project are in the R.A.R.E file. The R.A.R.E. expedition charted what was the last unmapped coast on earth, the Weddell Sea coast, and established that Antarctica was one land mass. The Ronne Ice Shelf is named for Edith Ronne, member of the expedition. She, along with Jennie Darlington (a Canadian citizen and wife of an expedition member) became the first women to winter over in Antarctica. Members of the expeditions included many scientists studying a wide range of earth sciences. Reports, photographs, and other documents on their work are in these files and in the Photographs series. Scientific work is especially documented in the files for Operation Deep Freeze / International Geophysical Year. In addition to these four expeditions, the series includes files on the first Byrd Antarctic Expedition (1928-1930), Operation Highjump, Operation Deep Freeze (years other than the International Geophysical Year), and proposals for expeditions.
The Photographs series contains black and white photo prints, color slides, glass lantern slides, and digital files. Many of the paper prints, in addition to a photo credit, have either handwritten or printed captions on the back. Researchers should be aware that substantial textual information can be found in this series. Most photographs are from the Antarctic expeditions or other trips to Arctic or Antarctic regions, but also included are photographs from events, family photographs, portraits and other photographs of the Ronnes. A set of photographs with lengthy captions comprise the "Antarctic history captioned photograph collection." The digital files are primarily composed of scanned photographs and slides made by the donor. Captions and credits from the backs of photo prints are not included in the digital scans. The digital files also include several video files and presentations.
The Speeches and Writings file contains writings by both Edith and Finn Ronne. The book drafts for both published and unpublished books, published articles, lecture scripts, and other drafts are all focused on the Antarctic experiences of the Ronnes. Lectures by the Ronnes were often accompanied by films; their collection of films has been transferred to the Motion Picture Division.