1934 General Foods Map of the Byrd Antarctica Expedition

This is a fascinating 1934 map of Antarctica issued by the General Food Corporation. It depicts the second Antarctic expedition of Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd and beautifully illustrates the South Polar Region, including the southern tip of South America and the eastern tip of New Zealand. The map identifies explored regions of the Antarctica, along the coast, especially near the Ross Sea. It also marks unexplored regions.

The map is adorned with a title cartouche illustrating a sled dog, a compass rose, penguins and the portrait of Richard Evelyn Byrd. A note below the title reads, 'Past polar expeditions have been swallowed up by a silence which was never broken until they returned--if they did return. But on the Byrd Expedition there is being attempted the most notable feat in radio history--a two-way broadcast of the Expedition as it is being lived--from the very lips of the men themselves. Hailed by leading authorities as an important contribution to radio science, this series is made possible by General Foods, makes of Grape-Nuts.' Two insets, on the top left and bottom right quadrants, detail the 'Route of Expedition and Path of the Broadcast,' and 'The Bay of Whales' respectively. A detail map of Little America (the expedition base camp on Ross Ice Shelf) is included within the inset of the Bay of Whales. Other illustrations of whales, penguins, ships, airplanes, etc. are included throughout.

A banner over the South Pole indicated previous expeditions of Amundsen in 1911, Scott in 1912 and Byrd's first expedition in 1929. The second Byrd expedition took place in 1934, and it was during this second expedition that Byrd spent five cold months alone at Advance Base and almost died. He would later describe his ordeal in his autobiography Alone.

This map, illustrated by George Annand was published by the General Foods Corporation as a promotions map for kids, intending to celebrate the Byrd's second Antarctic expedition and the groundbreaking radio broadcasts along the way.