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Picture Library

Picture Library

The activities of the Picture Library continue to be dominated by the centenary of Captain Scott’s British Antarctic Expedition 1910-13. Whilst assisting many visitors and enquirers from all over the world with their research of photographic material for use in a variety of publications, television programmes, lectures and museum exhibitions, emphasis has been placed strongly on Scott’s ‘Terra Nova’ expedition. Photographic material has been supplied for a number of exhibitions and Scott Centenary commemorative events, including those at Cheltenham College, Gloucester Cathedral, The National Museum – Czech Museum of Music, The Natural History Museum, Northampton Museum and Art Gallery, McLean Museum and Art Gallery, Greenock, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Slimbridge.

Media interest has been widespread and, in addition to numerous BBC and ITV news items, images have been supplied for a variety of television programmes including: S4C Welsh Language Channel; ‘Words of Captain Scott’ (ITV); ‘Der Wettlauf Zum Sudpol’, a television documentary by the German film company Loopfilm GmbH; ‘Antarctica’ by Emilio Pacull, a television programme for French TV by Grand Angle Productions; ‘Cold sweat’ by Danie Ferreira, a television documentary made by the South African film company Urban Brew Studios; a television programme entitled ‘in der Holle des Eismeeres’ by ORF/ZDF Austrian Broadcasting company; and ‘Met de kennis van Nu’ Scientific year overview 2012, for the Netherlands television company NTR.

Huge tabular iceberg in a stormy Amundsen Sea, Antarctica

Huge tabular iceberg in a stormy Amundsen Sea, Antarctica

Images have appeared in many publications from academic theses, conference papers and journals to local and national newspapers and magazines including Inuit Art Quarterly, Physiological Reviews, Journal of Molecular Biology, Canadian Geographic Magazine, The Historian, Cambridgeshire County Life Magazine, and the Scotsman Magazine. Images have also been supplied for a number of books including ‘1912 The Year the World Discovered Antarctica’ by Chris Turney; ‘National Geographic 125 Years’ by Mark Collins Jenkins; ‘In touch with the World, Volume 12, Antarctica – Penguin Paradise’, Readers’ Digest Germany; ‘Shipwreck at Cape Flora: The Arctic Expeditions of Benjamin Leigh Smith’ by Peter Capelotti; ‘Antarktida’ by Prof. Pavel Prosek, Czech Republic; ‘Women’s work, Women’s Art: Nineteenth Century Northern Athapaskan Clothing’ by Judy Thompson and ‘Scottish Explorers’ a National Museums of Scotland publication. The Picture Library is also pleased to have provided images for Isle of Man postage stamps and the Stamps and Coins yearbook.

The Picture Library acquired an important group of 109 photographs, known as ‘The Lost Photographs’ taken by Captain Robert Falcon Scott on his journey towards the South Pole on the ‘Terra Nova’ expedition. The purchase of these photographs was enabled by a substantial grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, combined with additional support from the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, the Staples Trust and Dr John C Taylor OBE. Also acquired by donation from Michael Swales of the Tristan da Cunha Association was a significant number of photographs taken during the Gough Island Scientific Survey 1955-56. In addition, an extensive group of photographs from Edwin Mickleburgh depicting whaling stations on South Georgia during the 1970s has been received. These photographs, generously given to the Institute, are welcome additions to the collection and will compliment material the Institute already holds from these areas. The Picture Library would like to acknowledge the invaluable help given by Angela Haines and Nelly Berger for their dedicated voluntary work throughout the year.

Lucy Martin