Details For Cover ID# 29039

Iceland 1925 35 aurar deep blue (147) tied by "Reykjavik 26.VI.30" machine cancel on illustrated letter sheet datelined June 24, 1930 to American Museum of Natural History, New York City. Letter discusses bird sightings over open ocean in the North Atlantic, and icebergs; ship due to arrive in Iceland on June 25th. Picture of SS "Polonia", back has flags of Baltic American Line, Copenhagen.

Based on letter content, I suspect the recipient worked in the Sanford Hall of North American Birds. Opening in 1909, the dioramas in Sanford Hall were the first to be exhibited in the museum and are, at present, the oldest still on display.

The SS "Polonia" (7,858 tons) was operated by the Baltic America Line, which served the ports of New York, Hamburg, Danzig (Free City), Libau, Latvia, and Halifax, Nova Scotia. The S.S. "Polonia" was built in 1910, originally named Kursk. In 1917 it was transferred from the Russian American Line and chartered to Cunard. In 1921 renamed Polonia, in 1930 sold to the Polish owned Gdynia America Line. 1933 the Polonia entered Mediterranean service; 1939 scrapped. Sources: TheShipsList.com and gjenvick.com (GG Archives).