14  cm. slides        1 2 3 4 >>

 

       

       Once again, I was very fortunate to stumble against a complete series of 14cm big magic lantern plates, describing a adventure
       of the Nobel prize winner, Fridtjof Nansen.
       But unfortunately these plates were not in such good condition.
       Not that it was broken or that pieces were missing, no, thank goodness not!
       But you could hear the dried wood sigh, gasping for food and attention.
       The (complicated) mechanisms were probably stuck for  decades, and even the glass plates itself, could hardly be moved.
       See as a sample photo’s below

       But such works are a complete challenge for us. And after many, but many hours of working with
       extreme care, and thinking of  how to bring the mechanisms back to life with turpentine, linseed oil, fine steel wool,
       petroleum jelly and oil.
       This, in addition to a small number of broken wood screws, without damaging the wood or glass.
       Obviously, given the state the plates were in, I can assure you we were very proud with the end result of a great job done,
       and  fit for another 100 or so years.
       It is therefore our pleasure to inform you of this beauty via our website in a larger scale than usual.

      

                  

                                                                                            Fridtjof Nansen (1861 - 1930)

       Was a Norwegian explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize laureate
       Won international fame after reaching a record northern latitude of 86°14' during his North Pole expedition of 1893 - 1896
       The journey was made in a vessel of extraordinary strength, designed so that it would slip upwards
       out of the grip of packing ice.
       Speed and sailing performance were secondary to the requirement of making the ship a safe and warm shelter
       during a predicted lengthy confinement. and was named Fram Fram left Christiania (Oslo) on 24 June 1893,
       cheered on by thousands of well-wishers.
       The story of this adventure, full of drama, is told in the magic lantern slides show below

                        

                        

                        

                        

                        

                        

                        

                        

                        

                        

                        

                        

                        

                        

                        

                        

                        

                        

                        

                        

                        

                        

                        

 

       The homeward voyage on 9 Sep: 1896 to Christiania was a series of triumphant receptions at every port.
       Fram was escorted into Christiania's (Restored to it’s original name Oslo, in 1925) harbour,
       and welcomed by the largest crowds the city had ever seen. 

     

    

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