Was just catching a small bite to eat and happened to hear a news piece on SBS about Scott's failed expedition to Antarctica. Apparently Herbert Ponting's photos from this trip, taken using a very old fashioned glass plate system, which in truth I don't understand, had just recently been digitised and put online. Only problem was, they didn't say where. So off this intrepid net explorer went, and with great luck and persistence, I found the images at the Royal Geographical Society.
And what a jackpot, I say! Yes, there were a lot of pictures of penguins and seals, but the images of grizzled old and young men swathed in woolen sweaters, either on the ice or their ship the Terra Nova, are amazing. Very sad, though, when coupled with the phrase "ill-fated expedition" and the knowledge that
Unfortunately, they're watermarked, but can be ordered for a fee without. Have a closer look, as they're also often amusingly titled - something that I haven't bothered to replicate.
Link to Royal Geographical Society.
More on Robert Falcon Scott, which also points you helpfully in the direction of the Terra Nova Expedition.
http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/about/news/latrobe/antarctic-expedition.html
ReplyDeleteThis is part of my great grandfather's collection of stuff they have at SLV. I think I might have access to it being an ancestor if you're interested...
Sarah V.
Definitely interested, thanks for bringing this to my attention. Does this mean your maternal grandfather is Keith Jack? It's such a pity you can't enlarge the photos in that article, as they look great. Come end of semester, a road trip to Bundoora might be in order.
ReplyDeleteYep, mum's grandfather was Andrew Keith Jack. I'm pretty sure it's in the State Library in the city, so no road trip necessary!
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