1882 Steel Engraving Winter Residence Russia Siberia Arctic Expedition XGW9

This is an original 1882 steel engraving of "Winter Residence of the Russian Exile." The Jeannette Arctic Expedition, commanded by Lieutenant George W. DeLong of the United States Navy, departed San Francisco on 8 July 1879. Originally projected by James Gordon Bennett, the proprietor of the New York Herald, the expedition was an attempt to reach the North Pole by way of the Bering Strait. Prior to the voyage, however, the Secretary of Navy added the task of searching for the long-overdue Vega and the Swedish polar expedition of Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld. Shortly after crossing the Chukchi Sea, the Jeannette was caught suddenly in an ice pack near Wrangel Island. For the next 21 months, the ship and crew drifted northwest and closer to their initial goal of reaching the North Pole. During this time, DeLong tracked and recorded extensive scientific data. In May 1881 the crew discovered two islands, naming them Jeannette and Henrietta respectively, and in June the crew discovered Be