Guide to the Robert E. Donahue Papers, circa 1909-1920s SPEC.PA.56.0214 Finding aid prepared by Audrey Wimbiscus Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections
1858 Neil Avenue Columbus, OH, 43210
2025 November

New collection. Needs records created.

 This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2025-11-24T10:10-0500 English Describing Archives: A Content Standard Robert E. Donahue Papers SPEC.PA.56.0214 Ohio State University Libraries Special Collections 0.7 Cubic feet circa 1909-1920s Robert E. Donahue, Sr. was a cameraman who accompanied Admiral Richard E. Byrd on his Arctic expedition in May 1926 for the first flight over the North Pole. The Robert E. Donahue Papers date from circa 1909 to the 1920s, and consist of photographs, glass slides, and a diary created by Donahue while in the Arctic. Also included are a scrapbook documenting Byrd's North Pole Flight, a shipboard newsletter, and photographs of explorer Robert E. Peary and other unidentified people. (1) 2.5" letter document box; (1) oversize flat box; (1) card box English Donahue, Robert E., Sr. Arrangement of Materials

Materials are arranged in chronological order; materials with the same date are further arranged in alphabetical order by item title.

 Acquisitions Information

Accession No. PA.2016.0011: Patricia Fallon, 2016 September

 Preferred Citation

[identification of item], Robert E. Donahue Papers, SPEC.PA.56.0214, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center Archival Program, Ohio State University

 Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Contains glass slides.

 Access to Materials

Materials in this collection are available for use, but may be used in the University Archives reading room only. Contact the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center Archival Program at polararchives@osu.edu for more information.

 Use of Materials

Materials in this collection may be protected by copyright, and are made available for research and educational purposes. In general, the OSU Libraries do not own the copyright for materials from our collections and cannot grant copyright permissions for these materials. The user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status. If copyright protection applies, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exceptions to the law. Works in the public domain are not protected by copyright and do not require permission to use.

 Processing Information

Processed by: Laura Kissel, 2016 September; Finding aid written by: Audrey Wimbiscus, 2025 November

 Biographical Note

Robert E. Donahue, Sr. was a cameraman for Pathe News who accompanied Admiral Richard E. Byrd on his expedition to the Arctic aboard the S.S. Chantier in May 1926. This expedition resulted in the first successful flight over the North Pole by Byrd and Floyd Bennett in an airplane named the Josephine Ford. Donahue also spent five months as a cameraman covering the first atomic bomb tests in the Pacific during Operation Crossroads in 1946.

 Scope and Contents

The Robert E. Donahue Papers date from circa 1909 to the 1920s, and consist of photographs, glass slides, and a diary created by Donahue while he documented the Arctic expedition for Admiral Richard E. Byrd's 1926 North Pole Flight for Pathe News. Also included is a scrapbook documenting the flight, a shipboard satirical newsletter written by Donahue and fellow cameraman Willard Van der Veer during the Arctic expedition called "Seas All - Nose Nothing," and photographs of explorer Robert E. Peary and other unidentified people.

 Donahue, Robert E., Sr. Arctic regions--Aerial exploration--20th century Arctic regions--Pictorial works--20th century Black-and-white photographs Camera operators--Arctic regions--20th century Cinematography--Arctic regions--20th century Diaries Lantern slides North Pole--Discovery and exploration--American--20th century Photographers--Arctic regions--20th century Photography--Arctic regions--20th century Scrapbooks Peary (Robert E.) and unidentified people photographs 2 4 circa 1909-1920s Byrd Arctic Expedition diary 2 2 1926 Byrd Arctic Expedition glass slides 3 1926 Byrd Arctic Expedition photographs 2 3 1926 Byrd Arctic Expedition scrapbook 1 1926 "Seas All - Nose Nothing" Byrd Arctic Expedition shipboard newspaper 2 1 1926