Portrait of Dr. Frederick A. Cook by Albert Operti

Albert Ludwig Operti
1852-1927 | Italian-American

Portrait of Dr. Frederick Albert Cook

Oil on canvas

This highly rare portrait of the important Polar explorer, Dr. Frederick Albert Cook, is the work of American artist Albert Ludwig Operti. Renowned in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for his paintings of exploration, namely Arctic scenes, Operti was the only artist to accompany Robert Peary on his historic 1896 expedition to the North Pole. His works seldom find their way out of private collections, the largest of which can be found at the Explorers Club in New York, which was founded by Cook.

In this contemplative oil painting, Operti captures Dr. Frederick A. Cook studying and dissecting a native bird during Robert Peary’s famed 1891-92 expedition of the Arctic in search of the North Pole. Depicted here in a fur hat and coat to protect against the frigid polar air, Cook served as the surgeon on several of Peary’s explorations. He befriended famed explorer Roald Amundsen and was a seasoned explorer in his own right. Both Cook and Peary claimed to have reached the North Pole first, and the debate about their divergent claims is still waged today.

Albert Operti was born in Italy and educated in Britain. While part of Peary's expedition through Greenland in 1896, the artist executed hundreds of sketches and studies that would serve as the basis for many of his future works. He painted several special commissions for the New York Explorers Club, which was a primary patron of Operti until his death in 1927. Operti’s works are not often seen or exhibited, making this a rare opportunity to acquire both a stirring painting and an important piece of history.

The painting was featured on the cover and discussed in Polar Priorities, the annual journal of the Frederick A. Cook Society, in the December 2006 edition, Volume 26.

Circa 1900

Canvas: 43 1/2” high x 34 1/8” wide
Frame: 51 1/2” high x 42” wide