Sir Edmund Hillary Autograph

One sheet bearing Hillary's signature, along with a line drawing of two figures climbing a mountain, both in black ink.

Sir Edmund Percival Hillary (1919-2008) was New Zealand mountaineer and explorer. As part of the ninth British expedition to Everest, Hillary and his Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay were the first men to reach the summit of Mt. Everest, the highest point on Earth, on May 29, 1953. For this feat, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, while Tenzing received the George Medal, one of Britain's highest civilian awards. Hillary would go on to participate in other expeditions in the Himalayas, as well as an expedition to the South Pole. In 1985, he was appointed New Zealand High Commissioner to India. Hillary also devoted much of his time and energy to various philanthropic causes, particularly those dedicated to preserving the ecology of the Himalayas and improving the living conditions of the Sherpa people. In 1998, Hillary was the recipient of the James Smithson Bicentennial Medal in honor of his "monumental explorations and humanitarian achievements." This autograph drawing was made by Hillary during a press conference at the Freer Gallery on November 16.

FSA A1998.09

Hillary, Edmund, 1919-2008

Nepal

Washington (D.C.)

USA -- District of Columbia -- Washington

Mountaineering

Folder 1

Gift of Sir Edmund Hillary, 1998.

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Ephemera

Sheets

Ink drawings

Drawings

Signatures (names)

Sir Edmund Hillary Autograph. FSA.A1998.09. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

Organized in one file folder.

Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.

Ink drawings

Drawings

Signatures (names)

Collection is open for research.