VILHJALMUR STEFANSSON - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 06/01/1928 - HFSID 101295

VILHJALMUR STEFANSSON
VIlhjalmur Stefansson gives a suggestion of who to use for a program.
Typed Letter Signed: "V. Stefansson", 1p, 8½x11. New York, 1928 June 1. On his personal letterhead to lecture agent James B. Pond. In full: "Except for her cultivated voice, Miss Gaultier sings Eskimo songs just like an Eskimo. Her work, therefore, has great scientific as well as musical value...I have thought you might make a hit by putting on a great program of primitive music in Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Opera House, or elsewhere, having Paul Robeson, Miss Gaultier, and whatever other first-class people you can find I should think it could be put over with a big hurrah." Cross out and one word (bolded) in his hand. Vilhjalmur Stefansson (1879-1962), the Arctic explorer and scientist who spent a total of ten winters and seven summers exploring Canada's northern regions. Stefansson, referred to as the "Prophet of the North", covered a distance of nearly 20,000 miles in his travels on foot and by dogsled, living among and adopting the clothing and habits of the native Inuit people. Stefansson, who became a lecturer at Dartmouth in the 1930s and 1940s, did much to change the image of the Arctic through his lectures and writings, portraying the region as friendly and hospitable. Folds do not touch signature. Lightly creased. Staple holes and 2 triangular file holes at upper left blank corner, receipt stamp at upper right edge. Fine condition.