Dates:
Location:
Arctic Museum main galleries
On September 1, 1909, Dr. Frederick A. Cook sent a telegram from Lerwick, Shetland, announcing that he had reached the North Pole in April 1908. One week later, on September 7, Robert E. Peary sent a similar telegram from Indian Harbour, Labrador, announcing that he had been the first to reach the North Pole in April 1909, and that Cook was a liar. These events set off a media frenzy and provided a rich source of material for editorial cartoonists across North America and in Europe. Here we present a series of cartoons from the fall of 1909, illustrating the pointed humor cartoonists brought to the debate.
