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Museum catalogue: Flag Collection

 
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Flag Collection

The Polar Museum has a collection of 40 historic flags, including 26 which are closely associated with iconic figures and events from the heroic age of polar exploration. The collection includes Union Jacks and other national flags flown at key locations, plain depot marker flags from Amundsen and Scott's expeditions, ship pennants and elaborately embroidered silk sledging flags. The sledging flags are highly personal items, since they were designed and made for their owners, and included family mottoes and crests. Evidence from our archive shows that they were often made by women in the explorer's family.

While a few of these flags are on display, the majority are in the museum stores. A generous grant from the British Antarctic Territory in 2013 has enabled the flags to be re-housed in archival plan chests, which will greatly improve their long term preservation. The funding has also allowed them to be made more accessible to the public via this online catalogue.

Further details on any item in the collection may be obtained on application to the Museum Curator. For details of public and research access please see the main Museum page of the website. For rights and images for publication, please contact the Picture Library.

5 random items [more] [view complete gallery]:


Data in this catalogue was last updated on Tuesday, 13th June 2023.