Antarctic Views by Hurley and Ponting

Antarctic Views by Hurley and Ponting

The wild beauty of Antarctica, and the extreme hardships endured by its early explorers are vividly depicted in this selection of photographs by two of the most noted Antarctic photographers, Frank Hurley and Herbert Ponting.

The images, drawn from the Australian National Maritime Museum's collection, are of Shakleton's Endurance expedition 1914-1917 (Hurley) and Scott's Terra Nova expedition 1910-1912 (Ponting).

The travelling Antarctic Views exhibition records some of the last days of the ill-fated Captain Robert Scott before he perished in his race to claim the South Pole. As part of Scott's expedition from 1910 to 1913, photographer Herbert Ponting was the first to present images of the frozen southern landscape to the world.

Australian photographer Frank Hurley accompanied Ernest Shackleton from 1914 to 1917 and recorded one of the greatest survival epics ever when the group was stranded for months.

An Australian National Maritime Museum travelling exhibition.

Image: Herbert Ponting: The Ice Cavern. Courtesy of popperfoto.com, ANMM Collection