Converted to EAD3 : Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Version 3 : Release: 1.1.1 : Release Date: 2019-12-16. Validating against latest version of schema.
Contact information: https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm2018086269
Collection material in English with Norwegian
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
The papers of Finn Ronne and Edith M. Ronne, Antarctic explorers and writers, were given to the Library of Congress by Karen Ronne Tupek in 2018.
The digital files in the Finn Ronne and Edith M. Ronne Papers were created, saved, and maintained on the donor's personal computer. The digital files are primarily digital scans of photographs held in the collection. The donor did not scan the backs of photographs, therefore captions and credits from the backs of photo prints are not included in the digital scans. The donor began organizing the scanned images in preparation for transfer to the Library of Congress, but transferred digital scans to the Library in 2018 before the arrangement was completed. The digital images as transferred included both sorted and unsorted images as well as numerous duplicates.
The papers of Finn Ronne and Edith M. Ronne were arranged and described by Karen Linn Femia with the assistance of Jake Bozza, Chanté Flowers, Kathleen O'Neill, Emilia Schrier, and Tammi Taylor in 2019.
Digital files were received as part of the Finn Ronne and Edith M. Ronne Papers on a portable hard drive, which was assigned a unique digital ID number. Use the digital ID number to request access copies of the files associated with this storage media. A description of the standard processes taken on all born digital records can be found in the Processing History Note: Born Digital Collection Material at https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.digital. In addition to the standard processes, some folders on the same topic were combined and duplicated and extraneous material removed. Additionally, the archivist was able to identify some photographs as misplaced and move those to appropriate folders. When a positive identification could not be made, duplicate files were retained in place, resulting in multiple duplicates across folders. The folder names were revised to conform with Manuscript Division guidance on folder titles, while subfolders are named as received except for those that exceeded the character limit. The file names also remain as received except for those that exceeded the character limit, therefore, images moved to a new folder still retain their original file names often indicating their original folder location.
Items have been transferred from the Manuscript Division to other custodial divisions of the Library. Some maps have been transferred to the Geography and Map Division. Films and audio tapes have been transferred to the Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division. All transfers are identified in these divisions as part of the Finn Ronne and Edith M. Ronne Papers. Patrons are encouraged to contact these divisions in advance of a research visit.
Other Ronne papers are at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland, and are cataloged as the Finn Ronne Family Papers Collection.
Copyright in the unpublished writings of Finn Ronne and Edith M. Ronne and in other collections of papers in the custody of the Library of Congress has been dedicated to the public.
The papers of Finn Ronne and Edith M. Ronne are open to research. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use. Access to digital content is available onsite only in the Manuscript Reading Room and requires advanced notice. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Digital content in the Finn Ronne and Edith M. Ronne papers is also viewable onsite via a Stacks terminal at https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/ms019027stacks.mss86269. Consult Manuscript Reading Room staff in advance regarding access.
Government regulations control the use of security classified material in this collection. Manuscript Division staff can furnish information concerning access to and use of classified materials.
Digital files are primarily scanned images in .jpg and .tiff formats. The collection also includes text documents in .pdf and .docx formats. Other formats in the collection include moving image files (.mov) and presentation files (.ppt). Specialized tools or software are not required to access the digital content. They can be viewed using currently available software and/or file viewers.
Microfilm on one reel was received as part of the papers of Finn Ronne and Edith M. Ronne and is listed and described in this finding aid. This microfilm is not available for interlibrary loan.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container, reel, or digital ID number, Finn Ronne and Edith M. Ronne Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
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.
This collection is arranged in seven series:
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm2018086269
Correspondence, articles and news clippings, biographical material, employment documents, U.S. Navy records, maps, photographs, reports, and printed matter.
Arranged alphabetically by topic or name of person.
Letters, radio messages, memoranda, mailing lists, and a chronological file.
Arranged alphabetically by name of individual or organization and chronologically therein.
Correspondence, diaries, writings, reports, printed matter, manuals, news clippings, and a scrapbook.
Arranged alphabetically by name of the Antarctic expedition, and alphabetically by topic or material type thereunder.
Available only on microfilm. Shelf no. 24,873
Photographic prints (many captioned), color slides, glass lantern slides, and digital image files.
Arranged alphabetically by subject of the photograph or name of the expedition.
Book drafts, published articles and news clippings, lecture scripts, notes on film projects, and miscellaneous drafts, all written by the Ronnes.
Arranged alphabetically by type of writing and author, and alphabetically by title or subject matter thereunder.
Correspondence and reports.
Arranged and described according to the series, containers, and folders from which the items were removed.
A poster, a mechanical drawing, photostats, photographs, and glass lantern slides.
Arranged and described according to the series, containers, and folders from which the items were removed.