BATHYSPHERE, NONSUCH ISLAND - Photo Album 1930-1931

A collection of 163 small format black and white photographs of the research team and their work on land and sea, manuscript captions on verso, preserved in a photo album, 45pp., oblong folio, black wrapper, [1930-1931]

The collection was compiled by Jackson Edwin Guernsey (1910-1998), a laboratory assistant on the expedition, while he was an undergraduate at Williams College. The photographs were taken during the third Bermuda Oceanographic Expedition, led by naturalist and explorer Charles William Beebe (1877-1962). William Beebe is regarded as one of the founders of the field of ecology, as well as one of the early 20th century’s major advocates of conservation.

The New York Zoological Society funded Beebe’s research in developing the Bathysphere, a vessel capable of exploring the ocean at great depths. Beede’s dives in the Bathysphere off the coast of Bermuda were the first time a biologist observed deep-sea animals in their native environment.

Although no descents in the Bathysphere were made during this expedition, due to the lack of extended periods of calm weather at sea, the expedition was still successful. Numerous new species were identified, including a deep sea eel with a scarlet light organ near the tail. An intensive study was made of the characters of sharks, with eleven Bermuda species differentiated. The most important discovery was that the bottom of the deep sea area under investigation was a submerged beach, with many corals, shells and pebbles brought up in the dredge.

The scientists, research assistants, and other contributors to the project are depicted working and socialising in this fascinating album. Almost all contributors, and often the photographers themselves are identified on the backs of the photos. Along with Guernsey and Beebe, we find photographs of Gloria Hollister, who set a world record for the deepest dive performed by a woman, on her thirtieth birthday in the bathysphere; John Tee-Van, a valuable member of Beebe’s famed team for over 26 years; Jocelyn Crane, who studied crustaceans and specialized in fiddler crabs; natural history illustrator for the Zoological Society’s Helene-Therese Tee-Van; Kathryn Leigh [aka Binx], who served as laboratory secretary; photographer Amos Burg who took 3500 feet of film during the expedition; Patten George, who died in Bermuda, aged 18, of appendicitis; Else Bostlemann, another artist, and many others.

Many interesting visitors were also photographed, including Professor A.L. Treadwell, head of the Zoology department at Vassar College; George Putnam, one of the most successful promoters in the US and widower to Amelia Earhart; and artist Philbrick Crouch. Several of the local people, along with animals and views of Nonsuch Island and Bermuda also appear throughout the album.

“Katherine Leigh (Binx) holding grapsus grapsus, the common land crab, tied to my water-string. On the eastern side of south point, nonsuch, bermuda. “Having nothing else to do” – we had taken a walk. June 29, 1931.”

The captions on the backs do more than simply identify the contributor and photographer, they also recount the circumstances in which the photograph was taken: “Happy Hawkins, 16 years of age, dead drunk in front of his tent – the sun helped the whiskey. July 1931. Nonsuch Bermuda.”

A charming and unique set of images from the earliest days of the development of the bathysphere.

Provenance: Jackson Edwin Guernsey (1910-1998) was raised in Shavertown, PA. After graduating from Williams College in 1931, he embarked on a career as a science teacher.