Rauner Special Collections Finding Aids

Administrative Information

The processing of this collection was supported by a Title II-C grant from the U.S. Department of Education

INTRODUCTION

Evelyn Stefansson was much more than the wife of an Arctic explorer; she became an authority on the Arctic in her own right. In 1939, when she first went to work for Vilhjalmur Stefansson as a researcher, her background work had been in the performing arts, most notably as a puppeteer. Through her work at the Stefansson Library, and after her 1941 marriage to Stefansson, she developed a keen interest in and a deep understanding of the geography and people living within the Arctic Circle. As a researcher and writer, she collaborated with her husband on writing projects, many under government contract. She lectured often on the Arctic.

Mrs. Stefansson made several trips to the Arctic, including two trans-polar flights in the 1950's. Visits to Iceland, Greenland, Alaska, and the Soviet Arctic were made to gather material for her books - introductory works on the Arctic “for intelligent teenagers and uninformed adults”.

In 1951 the Stefansson Library moved to Dartmouth College, and Evelyn served as librarian of the world-famous collection. She also lectured in geography and polar studies, and was twice director of the Arctic Seminar at Dartmouth.

After Stefansson's death in 1962, Evelyn remained for a short while with the Collection. She later moved to Washington, D.C., and in 1964 was married to John Ulric Nef.

Throughout her life Evelyn Stefansson maintained a deep interest in the arts. She was an avid photographer and took many pictures on her trips for use in her books. Her musical abilities were well developed in vocal music and on the recorder and she performed in many student plays at Dartmouth College.

The papers of Evelyn Stefansson contain manuscripts for her books and for many articles and book reviews. Correspondence with friends and publishers, trip diaries, and notebooks detail the many aspects of jer busy life. The papers occupy 7.0 linear feet and are a part of the Vilhjalmur Stefansson Collection on the Polar Regions. Additional information on Evelyn Stefansson may be found in two other of the Collection, entitled Arctic Seminar and Stefansson Collection.