Raymond Lee Newcomb (December 31, 1849 – June 28, 1918) was an American naturalist,
taxidermist
Taxidermy is the art of preserving an animal's body via mounting (over an armature) or stuffing, for the purpose of display or study. Animals are often, but not always, portrayed in a lifelike state. The word ''taxidermy'' describes the proce ...
, artist, and astronomer from
Salem, Massachusetts
Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, located on the North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem would become one of the most significant seaports tr ...
.
He was part of the
''Jeannette'' expedition and edited and co-authored ''Our Lost Explorers: the narrative of the Jeannette Arctic expedition as related by the survivors''. The book incorporated material from his journal accounts of the expedition. He was to produce studies and bring home specimens from the ill-fated Arctic expedition.
Biography
He and the other survivors were welcomed back to the United States after their Arctic expedition. In 1882, he gave a presentation to the
Essex Institute
The Essex Institute (1848–1992) in Salem, Massachusetts, was "a literary, historical and scientific society." It maintained a museum, library, historic houses; arranged educational programs; and issued numerous scholarly publications. In 1992 th ...
. In 1883, he was scheduled to give a lecture on the expedition at
Wellesley College
Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...
with
stereopticon
A stereopticon is a slide projector or relatively powerful "magic lantern", which has two lenses, usually one above the other, and has mainly been used to project photographic images. These devices date back to the mid 19th century, and were a popu ...
images for illustration. A Congressional Set from 1884 catalogs various documents related to the expedition including statements by Newcomb. Newcomb's work included taxidermy to preserve specimens.
[
After his return from the Arctic expedition, he served as Salem's health officer. In 1893, he became secretary of the Salem Camera Club. In 1895, he wrote an article about photography and the expedition for '' Anthony's Photographic Bulletin''. ]Edward Ellsberg
Edward Ellsberg, OBE (November 21, 1891 – January 24, 1983) was an officer in the United States Navy and a popular author. He was widely known as "Commander Ellsberg".
Early years
Ellsberg was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and grew up in Col ...
wrote about Newcomb and the expedition in ''Cruise of the Jeannette'' published in 1949.
References
External links
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19th-century American male writers
19th-century American photographers
19th-century American biologists
1849 births
1918 deaths
American astronomers
American diarists
American naturalists
Artists from Massachusetts
Explorers of the Arctic
Jeannette expedition
People from Salem, Massachusetts
Scientists from Massachusetts
Taxidermists
19th-century American astronomers
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