Roald Amundsen
Norwegian explorer (1872-1928). Roald Amundsen was the first person to traverse the fabled Northwest Passage, as well as the first person to reach the South Pole, which he accomplished in 1911. He wanted to be the first to reach the North Pole, but that pole was claimed by other explorers.
Roald Amundsen. (Library of Congress, LC-DIG-ggbain-39075, https://www.loc.gov/item/2014719214/)
Roald Amundsen. (Library of Congress, LC-DIG-hec-18402, https://www.loc.gov/item/2016859465/)
Roald Amundsen sitting in his study in July 1909. (National Library of Norway, https://urn.nb.no/URN:NBN:no-nb_foto_NF_W_09997)
A map of Amundsen's transit of the Northwest Passage in the ship Gjøa. Amundsen was the first to successfully navigate this passage, which he did between 1903 and 1906. (National Library of Norway, https://urn.nb.no/URN:NBN:no-nb_foto_NF_WA_03017)
A drawing of the Fram, the ship Amundsen used on his expedition to Antarctica. The Fram was previously used by Fridtjof Nansen, another famous Norwegian explorer, who was an idol of Amundsen's when he was young. (Library of Congress, LC-DIG-ggbain-10198, https://www.loc.gov/item/2014690182/)
Amundsen's ship, the Fram, in April 1910. (National Library of Norway, https://urn.nb.no/URN:NBN:no-nb_digifoto_20151203_00105_bldsa_RA_alb001_038)
Roald Amundsen and his dog in 1909. (National Library of Norway, https://urn.nb.no/URN:NBN:no-nb_digifoto_20150220_00144_bldsa_RA_alb001_013)
Roald Amundsen with his dog, Rex, in July 1910. His ship, the Fram, is in the background. (National Library of Norway, https://urn.nb.no/URN:NBN:no-nb_foto_NF_WA_01889)
A drawing of one of Amundsen's Antarctica camps, at Axel Heiberg Glacier. Amundsen was the first person to reach the South Pole, on December 14, 1911. (Library of Congress, LC-DIG-ds-10002, https://www.loc.gov/item/2016652160/)
Roald Amundsen in 1920. (National Library of Norway, https://urn.nb.no/URN:NBN:no-nb_digifoto_20180613_00003_bldsa_SURA0055)
The Norge, which Amundsen used on his flight above the North Pole in 1926. (Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-39389, https://www.loc.gov/item/2002721918/)
The airship Norge in March 1926. (National Library of Norway, https://urn.nb.no/URN:NBN:no-nb_foto_NF_WA_03030)
The airship Norge over Oslo on April 14, 1926. (National Library of Norway, https://urn.nb.no/URN:NBN:no-nb_digifoto_20180111_00005_NB_HS_01529)
People waiting for Amundsen's return from his airship expedition. (National Library of Norway, https://urn.nb.no/URN:NBN:no-nb_digifoto_20180601_00114_NB_HS_01951)
Writings
The South Pole: An Account of the Norwegian Antarctic Expedition in the “Fram,” 1910-1912, by Roald Amundsen
In this book, written in 1913, Roald Amundsen chronicles his expedition to the South Pole firsthand, complete with pictures from his journey.
Download Volumes 1 and 2: https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/6095#/summary
The photos on this page come from the Library of Congress and the National Library of Norway. Higher-resolution versions of these photos, as well as others, can be found at those websites.