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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Request to view at the Prints & Drawings Study Room, level H , Case DELTA, Shelf 2

A Cavern in an Iceberg

Photograph
1910 (photographed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Herbert Ponting was the official photographer for Captain Scott's tragic final expedition, enduring sub-zero temperatures to document this uncharted environment. In The Great White South (1921), he recalled discovering this cavern: 'A fringe of long icicles hung at the entrance of the grotto and passing under these I was in the most wonderful place imaginable. From the outside, the interior appeared quite white and colourless, but, once inside, it was a lovely symphony of blue and green.'


Object details

Category
Object type
Titles
  • A Cavern in an Iceberg (assigned by artist)
  • Scott's Last Expedition, The British Antarctic Expedition (series title)
Materials and techniques
Carbon print
Brief description
'A Cavern in an Iceberg', photograph by Herbert George Ponting From the portfolio 'Scott's Last Expedition, The British Antarctic Expedition', Antarctica, ca. 1910-3
Physical description
Photograph of view from inside a cavern in an iceberg out to the sea. In the distance a ship.
Dimensions
  • Height: 44.7cm
  • Width: 32.5cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • A Cavern in an Iceberg. Scott's last expedition. H. G. Ponting. (Signature and title; English; Below printed image.)
  • HERBERT G. PONTING/ Copyright PHOTOGRAPH BY HERBERT G. PONTING/ BRITISH ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION./ 1910. (English; Verso.; stamping (marking))
Gallery label
  • "Herbert Ponting was the official photographer for Captain Scott's tragic final expedition, enduring sub-zero temperatures to document this uncharted environment. About a mile from one of the expedition huts lay an iceberg resembling a medieval castle, The Castle Berg, which Ponting photographed dramatically in darkness by using magnesium flash-powder. In his book The Great White South(1921), Ponting recalled discovering the scene shown in A Cavern in an Iceberg: 'A fringe of long icicles hung at the entrance of the grotto and passing under these I was in the most wonderful place imaginable. From the outside, the interior appeared quite white and colourless, but, once inside, it was a lovely symphony of blue and green.' " - Martin Barnes(21/09/2007-28/06/2008)
  • Gallery 100, ‘History of photography’, 2011-2012, label text : Herbert George Ponting (1870-1935) ‘Grotto in an Iceberg’, from the portfolio Scott’s Last Expedition, The British Antarctic Expedition 1910-1913 5 January 1911 Ponting was the official photographer for Captain Scott’s tragic final expedition. He endured sub-zero temperatures to document the beautiful but treacherous and uncharted Antarctic. In his book The Great White South (1921), Ponting recalled discovering this cavern: ‘A fringe of long icicles hung at the entrance of the grotto and passing under these I was in the most wonderful place imaginable.’ Carbon print Transferred from the British Museum Museum no. E.1320-2000 (07 03 2014)
Credit line
Transferred from the British Museum
Subject depicted
Place depicted
Summary
Herbert Ponting was the official photographer for Captain Scott's tragic final expedition, enduring sub-zero temperatures to document this uncharted environment. In The Great White South (1921), he recalled discovering this cavern: 'A fringe of long icicles hung at the entrance of the grotto and passing under these I was in the most wonderful place imaginable. From the outside, the interior appeared quite white and colourless, but, once inside, it was a lovely symphony of blue and green.'
Other number
1931-4-11-25 - British Museum Number
Collection
Accession number
E.1320-2000

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Record createdOctober 16, 2001
Record URL
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