Bonhams 1793 : PONTING (HERBERT GEORGE) An album containing an important group of 68 images by Herbert Ponting or 'Birdie' Bowers including Scott and his companions at the South Pole, 1910-1913

PONTING (HERBERT GEORGE) An album containing an important group of 68 images by Herbert Ponting or 'Birdie' Bowers including Scott and his companions at the South Pole, 1910-1913

amended

30 Mar 2012 14:00 BST London, Knightsbridge
Polar Sale: Scott and Amundsen Centenary
Back to auction 19552

PONTING (HERBERT GEORGE)

An album containing an important group of 68 images by Herbert Ponting or 'Birdie' Bowers including Scott and his companions at the South Pole, gelatin silver prints, images of various sizes but typically 120 x 168mm., commercial photograph album, upper cover near detached, oblong folio, 1910-1913

Estimate:

£30,000 - 40,000
US$ 45,000 - 60,000
AU$ 47,000 - 62,000

Footnotes

The origins of this album seem to have a connection with a serialised publication of Scott's journey, in that a printed route map of the journey to the Pole is inserted with reference to previous instalments.

The majority of the images are those by Ponting (120 x 168mm.), and presumably mounted by him for early distribution to the publisher. This series are all captioned in pencil (many by Ponting himself), often with dates, bearing a reference number, and with variety of picture editors notes (sizes, cropping etc.). These include a fine series of portraits (3 of Scott, Wilson, Bowers, Lieut. Evans, Dr. Atkinson, and Trygvve Gran); a group photograph of the Southern Party having returned from depot-laying; Scott in his den; Meares and Oates at the blubber stove; giving whisky to a pony who swam ashore; Ponting lecturing on Japan; Wilson, Bowers and Cherry-Garrard about to leave for the penguin rookery at Cape Crozier; Scott, Simpson, Bowers and Evans leaving for the West Mountains; return of Atkinson's party; Atkinson's group of the relief party; Terra Nova in the pack; grotto in an iceberg; Terra Nova and a berg at the ice foot; penguin rookery at Cape Royds & Erebus; Gran, Taylor and Wright in the rigging of Terra Nova; deck of Terra Nova with dogs; sledging ration 1 man 1 day; Meares & Dimitri with their dog teams; Adelie penguin track and sledge track crossing. In addition there are 5 slightly smaller images: 'Teddy' Evans gesturing from the crow's nest of Terra Nova; portrait of P.O. Evans with ice axe; Wilson at the meteorological screen; Dr. Simpson inflating one of his balloons; Day & Lashly fixing up one of the motors for the Start.

Ponting received the film from the Bowers camera when it was recovered from the Tent, and developed it in the Hut. Of the images taken with this camera (several attributed to Wilson or Oates in addition to Bowers), the album contains 12 contact print images, some amongst the most famous of the expedition, others hardly known but bearing tell-tale numbers in the negative with a "B" to denote Bowers. Of these four show the group at the South Pole (one at Amundsen's tent taken by Oates), another on the polar plateau shows four men resting in the traces. Other images show the Southern Party on the Barrier on the outward journey. In addition, at the end of the album are large format versions (255 x 385mm.) of two of the group photographs at the Pole, and another of the four men resting in the traces.

Other images include: Scott's canvas satchel containing the journals; leaves from his journals, two from the diary, "The Polar Party's inner tent opened before the burial"; the grave; the memorial cross (last two large format).