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H9551-1 Ice axe head from broken ice axe, metal / wood, made by Anton Hupfauf, Einsiedeln, Switzerland, sold through Leonhard Kost, Basel, Switzerland, used during the Sir Douglas Mawson's Antarctic Expedition, Antarctica, 1911-1914. Click to enlarge.

Ice axe used during the Sir Douglas Mawson's Australasian Antarctic Expedition

This ice axe was used for cutting hand and foot holds in ice, and was used during Sir Douglas Mawson's Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE), Antarctica, 1911-1914.

One of the objectives of this expedition was the exploration and charting of the largely unexplored coastline of Antarctica. This included meteorological and magnetic observations, and the collection of biological and geological samples. It also aimed to establish a wireless weather station to assist with weather forecasting. …

Summary

Object No.

H9551-1

Object Statement

Ice axe head from broken ice axe, metal / wood, made by Anton Hupfauf, Einsiedeln, Switzerland, sold through Leonhard Kost, Basel, Switzerland, used during the Sir Douglas Mawson's Antarctic Expedition, Antarctica, 1911-1914

Physical Description

Ice axe head from broken ice axe, metal / wood, made by Anton Hupfauf, Einsiedeln, Switzerland, sold through Leonhard Kost, Basel, Switzerland, used during the Sir Douglas Mawson's Antarctic Expedition, Antarctica, 1911-1914

The ice axe consists of a wooden shaft with a metal pick and spike on one end of the axe. The ice spike has a wood shaft and metal spike. More than half the shaft is missing, with an obvious split in the wood.

Marks

Manufacturers marks, stamped on the pick of the ice axe in printed text, 'LEONHARD KOST / BASEL / 11'.

Another manufacturers marks also stamped on the pick of the axe in printed text, 'PRIMA'.

Stamped on the pick in printed text, 'PRIMA A. HUPFAUF / WERKZEUCSCHIED / ...'.

Dimensions

Height

785 mm

Width

260 mm

Depth

55 mm

Cite this Object

Harvard

Ice axe used during the Sir Douglas Mawson's Australasian Antarctic Expedition 2023, Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, accessed 24 March 2023, <https://ma.as/257630>

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://ma.as/257630 |title=Ice axe used during the Sir Douglas Mawson's Australasian Antarctic Expedition |author=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences |access-date=24 March 2023 |publisher=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, Australia}}