René-Yves Creston

A drawing of Charcot by Creston.
A drawing of Charcot by Creston.

In the spring of 2014, a drawing of Charcot was donated to the museum. The artist René-Yves Creston gave the drawing to then police chief and later prime minister, Hermann Jónasson. Though the drawing does not have a date marked on it, Creston was onboard the Pourquois-Pas? from 1933 until 1936. It is autographed by the artist with a greeting to Jónasson. The drawing was presented to the museum by Edda Guðmundsdóttir, widow of Steingrímur Hermansson (son of Hermann Jónasson and former prime minister) and parliamentarian Guðmundur Steingrímsson, the grandson of Hermann Jónasson.

Edda Guðmundsdóttir and Guðmundur Steingrímsson.
Edda Guðmundsdóttir and Guðmundur Steingrímsson.

René-Yves Creston (1898-1964) was an illustrator, anthropologist, and a hero of the resistance in WWII. He was from Bretagne in northern France and was advocate for the preservation of the culture and languages of the Bretons. He became fascinated by polar exploration in 1929 when he joined a fishing crew and sailed from Fécamp, Brittany to such distant locations as Norway, Iceland, and Svalbard. Charcot was always looking for skilled sailors to crew his expeditions. Creston was chosen by the expedition leader for this reason and also because of his background in anthropology and illustration. Charcot welcomed him aboard in 1933 and Creston participated in expeditions for three summers thereafter. He was awarded the title of “Peintre de la Marine” (Painter of the Fleet), a recognition of an artist’s importance to the documentation of naval history.