ANTIQUE 20THC UNIQUE VICTORIAN SILVER MOUNTED DR EDWARD WILSON'S PIPE C.1900
20th Century Victorian Silver mounted pipe, engraved with the initials "EW", it comes in the original leather case. Hallmarked English silver (925 standard), London, year 1900 (e), Maker's mark "GBD".
REFERENCE NUMBER: A2778
DESCRIPTION
Antique 20th Century Victorian Solid Silver mounted pipe, engraved with the initials "EW", it comes in the original leather case. The mount is Hallmarked English silver (925 standard), London, year 1900 (e), Maker's mark "GBD".
The pipe comes with a hand-written note reading: "This Pipe was Dr Edward Wilson, He who was Scott's close friend who accompanied him to the South Pole, on, November 1911. He died with him the following year".
Edward Adrian Wilson (1872-1912) was an English physician, painter, natural historian and Polar explorer. Wilson took part in two British expeditions to Antarctica, "Discovery Expedition" and the "Terra Nova", both under the leadership of the legendary explorer Robert Falcon Scott, serving as surgeon, artist and zoologist and contributed many of the illustrations to Scott's two volumes "Voyage of the Discovery".
Unfortunately the note appears to be unsigned, but the information is confirmed by the important provenance of the pipe. It comes in fact from the belongings of Hooton Pagnell Hall in South Yorkshire, part of which dates to the 13th century and has been home to the Warde family for over 300 years.
Edward Wilson was the younger brother of the Hooton Pagnell estate manager Bernard Wilson. Important unpublished letters were exchanged between the explorer, his brother Bernard Wilson and Julia Warde-Aldam in the last days of Wilson's life, in 1912, also sold with the content of Hooton Pagnel Hall (please follow this link to the Telegraph's article mentioning the letter estimated £3000).
Further evidence comes comparing this pipe with the almost identical Captain Scott's pipe now in Dundee Heritage Trust, please follow this link. Both Scott and other elements of the expedition's team were photographed with an apparently identical silver mounted pipe (follow this link and this link), suggesting that it could have been a presented gift before one expedition (the first South Pole expedition dates to 1901, the year after the pipe was made).
CONDITION
In Excellent condition - No damage, just general wear.
PIPE'S SIZE
Length: 14.3cm
Width: 3.3cm
Weight: 40g