Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-wq2xx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-24T04:03:09.377Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Albert L. Operti: chronicler of Arctic exploration

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 December 2015

Douglas W. Wamsley
Douglas W. Wamsley*
Affiliation:
Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450, USA (wamsleyd@msn.com)
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The great wave of immigrants to the United States during the late 1800s brought many talented individuals who enriched American culture and society. Notable among them stands the Italian-born artist, Albert L. Operti (1852–1927), a versatile painter, illustrator and sculptor. For much of his professional career, Operti served as a scenic artist for the Metropolitan Opera House and later as an exhibit artist for the American Museum of Natural History. However, he maintained an avid personal interest in polar explorers and the history of polar exploration, ultimately turning his artistic skills to the subject. Operti served as official artist for Robert E. Peary during his Arctic expeditions of 1896 and 1897, producing paintings, drawings and even plaster casts of the Inuit from the expedition. Over the course of his lifetime he painted a number of ‘great’ pictures depicting, in a factually accurate manner, important incidents in Arctic history along with numerous smaller paintings, sketches, illustrations and studies. The quality of his work never rivaled his more talented contemporaries in the field of ‘great’ paintings, such as the prominent artists William Bradford and Frederic Church. Nonetheless, Operti achieved some recognition in his time as a painter of historical Arctic scenes, but the full extent of his contributions are little known and have been largely unexamined. Unlike the explorers themselves whose legacy rests upon geographic or scientific accomplishments and written narratives, Operti's legacy stands upon the body of distinctive artwork that served to convey, in realistic and graphic terms, the hardships and accomplishments of those explorers. This article recounts the life of Operti and his role as an historian in disseminating knowledge of the polar regions and its explorers to the public.

Type
Research Article
Information
Polar Record , Volume 52 , Issue 3 , May 2016 , pp. 276 - 293
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

(Abbreviations of names of public depositories: AMNH=AmericanMuseum of Natural History, New York, NY; AGS=AmericanGeographical Society Archives, Madison, WI; SC=SeaverCenter for Western History Research, Natural History Museumof Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA; STEF=Rauner SpecialCollections, Stefansson Library, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH; WL: Wellcome Library, Townsend Thorndike Collection:Albert Operti (1852–1927), London).Google Scholar
Acting Director (AMNH). 1910 Letter from Acting Director (AMNH) to A. Operti, 16 December 1910. New York: AMNH, Special Collections, Central Archives 858, 1909–1922.Google Scholar
AGS (American Geographical Society). 1894. Summary of AGS Council Minutes, 7 April 1894. Madison WI: AGS, Papers and Correspondence regarding Mr. Operti's Painting.Google Scholar
Andrews, R.C. 1912. Letter to F.A. Lucas, received 20 September 1912. New York: AMNH, Special Collections, Central Archives 858, 1909–1922.Google Scholar
Andrist, R. 1962. Heroes of polar exploration. New York: American Heritage Publishing Co., Inc.Google Scholar
Barr, W. 1985. The expeditions of the first International Polar Year, 1882–83. Calgary: The Arctic Institute of North America. (technical paper 29).Google Scholar
Billboard. 1906. The Billboard. 30 June 1906 18 (26): 23.Google Scholar
Bonnerjea, R. 2004. Eskimos in Europe. How they got there and what happened to them afterwards. London and Budapest: Nyomda.Google Scholar
Bradford, W. 1873. The Arctic regions. Illustrated with photographs taken on an art expedition to Greenland. London: S. Low & Marston.Google Scholar
Brainard, D. 1890. Letter to Albert Operti, 17 December 1890. Hanover NH: STEF MSS-165, Box I, Folder 1.Google Scholar
Brainard, D. 1905. Letter to the Council of the American Geographical Society, 23 December 1905. Madison WI: AGS, Papers and Correspondence regarding Mr. Operti's Painting.Google Scholar
Brainard, D. 1940. Six came back. The Arctic adventure of David L. Brainard. (editor James, B.). Indianapolis and New York: The Bobbs-Merrill Company.Google Scholar
Corner, G. 1972. Doctor Kane of the Arctic seas. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.Google Scholar
Farewell 1889. Presentation of ‘Farewell’ to Kane Lodge 454, F&AM, Masonic Hall, New York Tuesday Evening, June 4th, 1889. New York: Styles and Cash.Google Scholar
Ford, J. 1921. Letter to Albert Operti, 26 January 1921. Madison WI: AGS, Papers and Correspondence regarding Mr. Operti's Painting.Google Scholar
Gilder, W. 1881. Schwatka's search. Sledging in the Arctic in quest of the Franklin records. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.Google Scholar
Greely, A.W. 1886. Three years of Arctic service. An account of the Lady Franklin Bay expedition of 1881–84 and the attainment of the farthest north. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.Google Scholar
Greely Paintings. 1886a. The fine arts. Art notes. The critic; a weekly review of literature and the arts 151: 249–250.Google Scholar
Guttridge, L. 2000. Ghosts of Cape Sabine. The harrowing true story of the Greely expedition. New York: G.P. Putnam's Son.Google Scholar
Heritage Galleries. 2006. Historical autographs, manuscripts, and rare books. Dallas TX: Grand format American Auction 20–21 February 2006.Google Scholar
Holt, H. 1894. Letter to A. Operti, 19 April 1894. Madison WI: AGS, Papers and Correspondence regarding Mr. Operti's Painting.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kane, E.K. 1856. Arctic explorations: the second Grinnell expedition in search of Sir John Franklin 1853, ’54, ‘55. Philadelphia: Childs and Peterson.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kersting, R. (editor). 1898. The Arctic Club of America. A biographical list of its members for the year 1898. New York: The Arctic Club of America.Google Scholar
Kersting, R. (editor). 1902. The white world. Life and adventures within the Arctic Circle portrayed by famous living explorers. New York: Lewis, Scribner and Co.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kugler, R. 2003. William Bradford. Sailing ships and Arctic seas. Seattle and London: New Bedford Whaling Museum and The University of Washington Press.Google Scholar
Leonard, J. (editor). 1907. Who's who in New York City and State. (3rd edn). New York: L.R. Hamersly and Company.Google Scholar
Lucas, F.A. 1912. Letter to A. Operti, 29 November 1912. New York: AMNH, Special Collections, Central Archives 858, 1909–1922.Google Scholar
McClintock, L. 1859. The voyage of the ‘Fox’ in the Arctic seas. A narrative of the discovery of the fate of Sir John Franklin and his companions. London: John Murray.Google Scholar
Mason, W. 1910. The frozen northland. Life with the Esquimo in his own country. Cincinnati: Jennings and Graham.Google Scholar
Melville, G. W. 1884. In the Lena delta. A narrative of the search for Lieut.-Commander DeLong and his companions followed by an account of the Greely relief expedition and a proposed method of reaching the North Pole. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company.Google Scholar
Melville, G. 1889. Letter to A. Operti, 20 July 1889. Los Angeles: SC MSS-418, p.752.69-1-3(gg).Google Scholar
Melville, G. 1898. Letter to A. Operti, 12 February 1898. Los Angeles: SC MSS-418, p.752-69-1-3(g).Google Scholar
Melville, G. 1899. Letter to A. Operti, 11 October 1899. Los Angeles: SC MSS-418, p. 752–69–1.Google Scholar
Moran, J. 1885. The scene painter's show. The Art Union 2 (4): 85.Google Scholar
Nansen, F. 1890. The first crossing of Greenland. New York and London: Longmans, Green and Co.Google Scholar
Noble, L. 1857. After icebergs with a painter: a summer voyage to Labrador and around Newfoundland. London: Sampson, Low, Son and Co.Google Scholar
Operti, A. 1894. Letter to P. Daly, 22 February 1894. Madison WI: AGS, Papers and Correspondence regarding Mr. Operti's Painting.Google Scholar
Operti, A. 1897. The sixth Peary expedition. The Home Magazine 8 (4): 329–339.Google Scholar
Operti, A. 1902. An artist in the frozen zone. In: Kersting, R. (editor). The white world. Life and adventures within the Arctic Circle portrayed by famous living explorers. New York: Lewis, Scribner and Co: 297–304.Google Scholar
Operti, A. 1906. Letter to D. Brainard, 9 January 1906. Madison WI: AGS, Papers and Correspondence regarding Mr. Operti's Painting.Google Scholar
Operti, A. 1910. Letter to H. F. Osborne, 8 December 1910. New York: AMNH Special Collections, Central Archives 858, 1909–1922.Google Scholar
Operti, A. 1911. Letter to G. Sherwood, Assistant Secretary, AGS, 24 January 1911. New York: AMNH Special Collections, Central Archives 858, 1909–1922.Google Scholar
Operti, A. 1912a. A sculptor in the Arctic regions. Shields Magazine of Art 146.Google Scholar
Operti, A. 1912b. Letter to Roy Chapman Andrews. 18 September 1912. New York: AMNH Special Collections, Central Archives 858, 1909–1922.Google Scholar
Operti, A. 1915. Arctic historical paintings. New York: Privately printed (2 copies in the collection of the AMNH).Google Scholar
Operti, A. 1920. Letter to the American Geographical Society, 24 August 1920. Madison WI: AGS, Papers and correspondence regarding Mr. Operti's Painting.Google Scholar
Operti, A. 1926. Everybody's personalities. His igloos never melt. Everybody's Magazine 54:145, 180–181.Google Scholar
Operti, G. 1873. Musical Instructions. Folio 9 (5): 132.Google Scholar
Peary, R. 1898. Northward over the ‘great ice.’ A narrative of life and work along the shores and upon the interior ice-cap of northern Greenland in the years 1886 and 1891–1897. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company.Google Scholar
Peary, R. 1907. Nearest the Pole. A narrative of the polar expedition of the Peary Arctic Club in the S.S. ‘Roosevelt’, 1905–1906. New York: Doubleday, Page and Company.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peary, R. and Peary, M.. 1904. Snowland folk. The eskimos, the bears, the dogs, the musk oxen, and other dwellers in the frozen north. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company.Google Scholar
Powell, T. 1961. The long rescue. London: W.H. Allen.Google Scholar
Putnam, W. 2001. Arctic superstars. A centennial publication of the American Alpine Club. Boulder, CO: The American Alpine Club.Google Scholar
Savitt, R. 2008. Frederick Schwatka and the search for the Franklin expedition records, 1878–1880. Polar Record 44 (230): 193–210.Google Scholar
Schley, W.S. 1887. Letter to A. Operti, 3 December 1887. London: WL MSS 7485/3.Google Scholar
Schwatka, F. 1886. The search for Franklin. A narrative of the American expedition under Lieutenant Schwatka, 1879 to 1880. London: T. Nelson and Sons.Google Scholar
Stackpole, E. (editor). 1965. The long Arctic search. The narrative of Lieutenant Frederick Schwatka, U.S.A. 1878–1880 seeking the records of the lost Franklin expedition. Chester, Ct: Mystic Seaport, Inc.Google Scholar
Tammiksaar, E., Sukhova, N.G. and Stone, I.R.. 1999. Hypothesis versus fact: August Petermann and polar research. Arctic 52 (3): 237–244.Google Scholar
Tarr, R. 1897. Letter to A. Operti, 4 November 1897. Los Angeles: SC MSS-261.Google Scholar
Todd, A. 1961. Abandoned. The story of the Greely Arctic expedition 1881–1884. London, New York and Toronto: McGraw-Hill Book Company.Google Scholar
Whitlock, H. P. 1927. Albert Operti 1852–1927. Natural History 27: 628–631.Google Scholar
Wright, J.K. 1952. Geography in the making. The American Geographical Society 1851–1952. New York: American Geographical Society.Google Scholar