Lot 386
PAIR OF STAINED PINE SKIS, POSSIBLY NORWEGIAN
LATE 19TH/ EARLY 20TH CENTURY
Auction: 24 September 2014 at 12:00 BST
Description
of slender tapering form, each with an applied deerskin foot rest, moulded to the nose (2)
Dimensions
each 303cm long, 9cm wide
Footnote
Provenance:
William Gordon Burn Murdoch
and by family descent
Exhibited: Edinburgh, Royal Museum of Scotland 'William Speirs Bruce - The First Polar Hero', March-June 2003
Literature: Swinney, Geoff, 'William Gordon Burn Murdoch (1862-1939)', Royal Geographic Society
Note: William Gordon Burn Murdoch (1862-1939), or "W.G." as he was known to his friends, was an artist, explorer, fisherman, hunter, Scottish nationalist, whaler, and writer. His activities involved him in extensive travels and he described himself as having 'wandered quite far afield to the Arctic and Antarctic, and even to 'the back parts of Mull' and also the back parts of China'.
WG was 'involved in the Scottish Spitsbergen Syndicate, a mineral exploration company, and also collaborated with his life-long friend, the polar explorer William Speirs Bruce, in attempts to develop tourism to the sub-Arctic islands now known as Svalbard. He worked on several enterprises with Bruce and was a major supporter of the Scottish National Antarctic (Scotia) Expedition, 1902-4.' He also published several books including 'Modern whaling and bear hunting' (1917) and 'From Edinburgh to India and Burmah' (1908) which 'recounted his journey following the Prince and Princess of Wales on their historic visit to India in 1905-6.'