Manufacturer: Fraunfelter China
User: Byrd Antarctic Expeditions
Date of plates: circa 1928 – 1933
Richard E. Byrd 4th
Notes: From Wikipedia: "Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr. (October 25, 1888 – March 11, 1957) was an American naval officer, and pioneering aviator, polar explorer, and organizer of polar logistics. Aircraft flights in which he served as a navigator and expedition leader crossed the Atlantic Ocean, a segment of the Arctic Ocean, and a segment of the Antarctic Plateau. He is also known for discovering Mount Sidley, the largest dormant volcano in Antarctica.
"Byrd claimed to be the first to reach both the North and South Poles by air. However, there is some controversy as to whether Byrd was actually the first person to reach the North Pole. It is generally believed that the distance Byrd claimed to fly was longer than the possible fuel range of his airplane.
"He was a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration, and the Navy Cross, the second highest honor for valor given by the U.S. Navy."
- Byrd made three Antarctic Expeditions. The first was in 1928 to 1930. From Wikipedia: "In 1928, Byrd began his first expedition to the Antarctic involving two ships and three airplanes: Byrd's flagship was the City of New York (a Norwegian sealing ship previously named Samson that had come into fame as a ship some said was in the vicinity of the Titanic when the latter was sinking). The expedition returned to North America on June 18, 1930."
We believe the plate noted as Byrd Expedition I and with both ships on the rim is from that voyage.
- Byrd's second Antarctic Expedition took place in 1933 to 1934. From Wikipedia:" On his second expedition during the Southern Hemisphere summer of 1933–1934, (winter in the United States, in the Northern Hemisphere), Byrd spent five months alone operating a meteorological station, Advance Base, from which he narrowly escaped with his life after suffering carbon monoxide poisoning from a poorly ventilated stove."
We think that the plate noted as Byrd Expedition II and with just one ship (City of New York) on the rim is from that voyage.
On his numerous polar expeditions, Byrd and his crew had the assistance of many sled dogs (or as they were commonly referred to in articles about the expeditions, "sledge dogs") as shown in this short video on YouTube titled – Admiral Byrd and the Dogs of His Expeditions. If you watch the video, stop it at the 1.34 mark, and see the dog we believe to be Unalaska who is the beloved dog used as a model on the two plates.
In addition to Unalaska, Byrd had at least two other dogs – Igloo and Tom Pratt – that became nationally famous during Byrd's years of polar exploration.
An article from the Muskingum County History Museum dated Dec. 5, 2023, states: "Rear Admiral Richard Byrd came to Zanesville [in Ohio] in March 1932 to give two lectures and show films about his expedition to Antartica. An afternoon lecture was for school children and in the evening, he spoke to an adult crowd. Local Sea Scouts accompanied him as he moved between the Rogge Hotel and Memorial Hall. While in Zanesville, Bryd paid a visit to the Fraunfelter China Company to discuss the tableware he would need for his upcoming second trip to Antartica. Art Wagner designed dishes that had images of Byrd's ships "City of New York" and "Bear of Oakland," which the pottery company donated to the expedition. According to most accounts, this was the first collaboration between Bryd and Fraunfelter. However, an article in the March 22, 1932, Times Recorder says that Fraunfelter also supplied dishes for the first expedition to the South Pole.
Based on the information from the museum and the 1932 Times Recorder article, we think that some of this china was actually used aboard Byrd's ships and his base stations in Antarctica. However, there is also the possibility that the china was made only to commemorate his expeditions.
- Byrd Expedition I plate – White body plate with a blue pinstripe with curlicue ends around the middle of the rim with a larger blue stripe underneath. These stripes are broken at the top, bottom, and two sides by different line drawings in blue and white. At the top is the dog who we believe is Unalaska; on the bottom is one of Byrd's airplanes; on the left is a drawing of Byrd's flagship, The City of New York; and on the right is Byrd's ship the Bear of Oakland.
- Byrd Expedition II plate – This is the same design as the first plate. At the top is a drawing of Byrd's flagship The City of New York; on the right is (probably) Unalaska; at the bottom is one of Byrd's airplanes; and on the left a drawing of a penguin.
Sources:
Wikipedia – Byrd's history
Times Recorder – March 22, 1932 – article about Byrd's visit to Fraunfelter China
YouTube.com – video about Byrd's dogs
Muskingum County History Museum – article about Byrd's visit to Zanesville, Ohio
Contributors:
Ed Babcock – ID
Ed Phillips – author