The David A. Paige Papers are arranged chronologically.
Accession No. PA.2005.0016: David A. Paige, Jr., 2005 October; Accession No. PA.2009.0008: Purchased, 2009 June; Accession No. PA.2025.0011: Joe Ralph, 2025 February
[identification of item], David A. Paige Papers, SPEC.PA.56.0144, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center Archival Program, Ohio State University
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Processed by: Andrew Cline, 2019 June; David Mezick, 2025 May; Finding aid written by: Andrew Cline, 2019 June; David Mezick, 2025 May
David Abbey Paige was the official artist of the Second Byrd Antarctic Expedition (BAE II), conducted from 1933-1935. Paige concentrated on depicting the nature of color and light within the Antarctic landscape and used pastels as his primary artistic medium. Several months after returning to the United States following the conclusion of BAE II, Paige claimed to have been left stranded in the Los Angeles, California, area with no money, as an assignment that brought him to California to create a large painting for the San Diego Fair was canceled. Paige consequently shifted his focus to exhibiting his artwork from BAE II and presenting related lectures to various groups. In the early 1940s, Paige sought to acquire from Byrd additional footage of BAE II to assemble into short narrative films and, later, educational films for prospective buyers.
The David Paige Papers, dated 1933-1934, 1938, and circa 2005, contain photocopies of telegrams and other correspondence from 1933-1989, mainly between Admiral Richard E. Byrd and Paige. The majority of the correspondence concerns the access, ownership, and use of motion picture film of Second Byrd Antarctic Expedition (BAE II), shot by and housed at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, California. Paige assembled a film from the footage of “only shots pertaining to art and artistic subjects” to accompany the lecture tour he was scheduling. The letters exchanged between Paige and Byrd evidence discrepancies between the two men’s understanding and approval of how Paige intended to, and ultimately did, use the footage, and Paige's interpretation of the contract between Byrd and Paramount Pictures. The correspondence includes a letter and accompanying contract sent from Emanuel Cohen, Vice President of Paramount Pictures, to Richard E. Byrd. In later years, the correspondence turns to the topic of Paige's artwork, which was in the possession of Byrd and Byrd's family. It contains a letter sent from Paige to Richard E. Byrd's son, requesting that Paige's artwork be returned to him and not included in the Byrd estate, and correspondence between the law firms representing Paige's and Byrd's estates, respectively, following their deaths, regarding custody of Paige's artwork. The collection also contains an original letter and piece of artwork, dated 1938, sent by Paige to junior high school student Sonia Grekel to reward her with the first place prize of an original pencil drawing of penguins. Also included are letters that Paige sent to Mr. W. Jewel, art critic at The New York Times, during BAE II.