Painter and the Penguin

What others said about Joseph van Waterschoot van der Gracht, Dutch explorer, balloon commander, geologist, penguin enthusiast and painter on Douglas Mawson’s Australasian Antarctic Expedition 1912-1913:

“He is a highly skilled geologist, and also an artist and photographer of exceptional ability.” – David Orme Masson, a member of the AAE Advisory Committee

“… a very fine fellow…” – John George Hunter, Main Base, Australasian Antarctic Expedition

“… I have written to Prof. Masson suggesting that Mr. Van der Gracht, a very clever Dutch geologist, should be taken on the trip when you go down to fetch Mawson.” – Sir Ernest Shackleton

“Mawson regarded him as a con-man and did not like his paintings.” – David Francis Branagan, Associate Professor of Geology, Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Sydney