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PONTING, BOWERS, SCOTT, ALBUM OF PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE BRITISH TERRA NOVA EXPEDITION, [1912-14]
Estimate
15,000 - 20,000 GBP
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Description
- Album of photographs from the British Terra Nova Expedition. [1911-12]
Oblong folio (223 x 295mm.), 69 silver gelatin prints (from 73 x 80mm. to 380 x 270mm., or the reverse), 5 folding, some mounted directly on thick card, others with thick card backing, all mounted recto and verso, most with pencil annotations on mounts and a few with painted highlights directly on images, printed map of the journey of Scott's South Polar Party, contemporary blue reptile-textured cloth, binding slightly worn
Condition
Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
AN EXTREMELY RARE ALBUM OF CAPTAIN SCOTT’S MARCH TO THE POLE, AND ATTEMPTED RETURN, DURING THE BRITISH TERRA NOVA EXPEDITION, CONTAINING PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN PHOTOGRAPHS. The album is from the earliest period of reproduction from Expedition photographs, and appears to be focused around Scott’s Polar Party, with contact images by Scott and Bowers of the march to and from the Pole; photographs of Scott’s letters and sledging journals from the march; and from Atkinson’s search party. Scenes from Ponting’s camera include: The Terra Nova as seen through an Ice grotto, penguins at Cape Royds, Mount Erebus, Scott’s Hut (“Main Hut”), sledging rations and dogs, equipment, horses, expedition member portraits, among others. Most photographs are direct contact prints from their glass and paper negatives, while others are enlargements.
Herbert George Ponting (1870–1935) was the expedition photographer and cinematographer for Robert Falcon Scott's Terra Nova Expedition to the Ross Sea and South Pole—the first professional photographer to gain extensive access in the Antarctic. Knowing he would not be able to accompany the Polar Party on their march to the Pole, Ponting instructed a group of expedition members—including Captain Scott and “Birdy” Bowers—on how to use their smaller cameras in the harsh light and extreme climate of the Antarctic.
On the march to the Pole, Scott and Bowers organized a co-ordinated project of photographing what they were encountering and how the party conducted its arduous journey—another first in the annals of Antarctic exploration. The result was an unprecedented photographic record of the march towards the Pole, the region of the Pole itself, and the subsequent tragedy which befell the party on their return journey.
In the aftermath of Scott’s and the Polar Party’s deaths, all photographs from the expedition fell under the jurisdiction of an executive committee, who dealt with the many demands from the press and public for imagery. Unhappily, this resulted in very few of Scott’s and Bowers’ photographs seeing the light of day. Inexplicably, images other than Ponting’s became muddled up, resulting in misattributions of photographers and locations, even when they were published or included in private albums distributed to editors, expedition participants, relatives and friends.
From the annotations in this album, it seems clear the album was compiled for purposes of publication—one of the few to have surfaced from the earliest period of reproduction. At some point after the November, 1913 publication of Scott’s diary in Scott’s Last Expedition, the executive committee relinquished control of all the expedition’s images. Ponting’s many fine photographs were fortunately returned to him and made available, but no reproductions from the cameras of Scott and Bowers or from Atkinson’s search party were seen again until their recent rediscovery this Century.
Herbert George Ponting (1870–1935) was the expedition photographer and cinematographer for Robert Falcon Scott's Terra Nova Expedition to the Ross Sea and South Pole—the first professional photographer to gain extensive access in the Antarctic. Knowing he would not be able to accompany the Polar Party on their march to the Pole, Ponting instructed a group of expedition members—including Captain Scott and “Birdy” Bowers—on how to use their smaller cameras in the harsh light and extreme climate of the Antarctic.
On the march to the Pole, Scott and Bowers organized a co-ordinated project of photographing what they were encountering and how the party conducted its arduous journey—another first in the annals of Antarctic exploration. The result was an unprecedented photographic record of the march towards the Pole, the region of the Pole itself, and the subsequent tragedy which befell the party on their return journey.
In the aftermath of Scott’s and the Polar Party’s deaths, all photographs from the expedition fell under the jurisdiction of an executive committee, who dealt with the many demands from the press and public for imagery. Unhappily, this resulted in very few of Scott’s and Bowers’ photographs seeing the light of day. Inexplicably, images other than Ponting’s became muddled up, resulting in misattributions of photographers and locations, even when they were published or included in private albums distributed to editors, expedition participants, relatives and friends.
From the annotations in this album, it seems clear the album was compiled for purposes of publication—one of the few to have surfaced from the earliest period of reproduction. At some point after the November, 1913 publication of Scott’s diary in Scott’s Last Expedition, the executive committee relinquished control of all the expedition’s images. Ponting’s many fine photographs were fortunately returned to him and made available, but no reproductions from the cameras of Scott and Bowers or from Atkinson’s search party were seen again until their recent rediscovery this Century.