The Heart of the Great Alone

Royal interest in polar exploration began with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who followed the fortunes of the early adventurers, such as Sir John Franklin and William Bradford. His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, continues the tradition today and has been patron of a number of expeditions undertaken by the explorer David Hempleman-Adams, who has contributed to the catalogue of this exhibition.

Captain Robert Falcon Scott (1868-1912) set sail for Antarctica on Terra Nova in 1910, determined to be the first to reach the South Pole. His team included Herbert Ponting (1870-1935), the first official photographer to participate in a polar expedition. Ponting was already a well-known and successful travel photographer when he was introduced to Scott in 1909. As the ship sailed south from New Zealand, Ponting began work immediately, recording the first icebergs encountered in December 1910 and scenes on board. He photographed as much as possible during his time in Antarctica, producing around 2,000 glass plate negatives between December 1910 and March 1912. A selection of his spectacular pictures of the landscape, the expedition crew, and wildlife including seals, gulls and penguins, is included in the exhibition.