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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.
  • Image 1 of 10, 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
  • Image 2 of 10, 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
  • Image 3 of 10, 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
  • Image 4 of 10, 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
  • +6
    Image 5 of 10, 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
  • Image 6 of 10, 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
  • Image 7 of 10, 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
  • Image 8 of 10, 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
  • Image 9 of 10, 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
  • Image 10 of 10, 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

Made
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. …

This object is part of

H9551 Ice axe in two parts (axe head and ice spike), metal / wood, made by Anton Hupfauf, Einsiedeln, Switzerland, sold through Leonhard Kost, Basel, Switzerland, used during Sir Douglas Mawson's Australasian Antarctic Expedition, Antarctica, 1911-1914
Ice axe used during Sir Dougas Mawson's Australasian Antartic Expedition
1911-1914

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 / ...'.

Short URL

https://ma.as/257630

Dimensions

Height

785 mm

Width

260 mm

Depth

55 mm

Production

Made

Notes

The ice axe was made by Anton Hupfauf (1871-1916), a Swiss maker of mountaineering equipment, while it was sold through Leonhard Kost, an outfitters' sports store of Basel, Switzerland. The Kost company originated in 1866 but went out of business in about 2018.

The Hupfauf ice axe factory was located in Einsiedeln, Switzerland, at the northern foot of the Swiss Alps, 30 km southeast of Zurich. It was established by Anton Hupfauf senior (1871-1916), a blacksmith who was born in Fulpmes, in the Tyrol region of Austria, and moved to Einsiedeln, Switzerland, in 1898. Initially, the Hupfaufs made farming tools and knives but gradually began to specialise in the manufacture ice axes and crampons for mountaineering expeditions. His equipment became well known and was exported around the world. In 1911, the same year as the Mawson Antarctic expedition, the Haupfaufs were awarded a gold medal at the Turin Worlds Fair for their equipment. Ice axes were made in numerous lengths and various models.

After Anton senior's accidental death in 1916 the factory was carried on by Melchior Ochsner, one of his employees, until Anton senior's son, Anton Hupfauf junior (1908-1993), was old and experienced enough to take over the works in 1930. By then household goods were added to the factory's production while ice axes and crampons continued to be made and distributed worldwide, and even issued to the army during World War II. The factory, which employed about 15 workers, continued until about 1948.

History

Used

Owned

Notes

The ice axe was used during the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914, and presumably by Douglas Mawson,
and was owned by the Royal Australian Historical Society, Australia.

Cite this Object

Harvard

Ice axe used during the Sir Douglas Mawson's Australasian Antarctic Expedition 2023, Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, accessed 5 June 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=5 June 2023 |publisher=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, Australia}}

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