Series 1: Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914 photographs

ON 144

series

1911-1914

Graphic Materials, Photographs

41153

approximately 2100 negatives - glass, colour, black and white

In 1911 a group of scientists and adventurers left Hobart under the leadership of Dr Douglas Mawson. They were bound for Macquarie Island and the then unknown parts of Antarctica. The scientists of the expedition produced information that later made an major contribution to knowledge of the region. The exploration of new lands established precedence to claims, formalised in 1936 as the Australian Antarctic Territory.

Between 1959 and 1960 the photographic negatives of the Expedition were transferred from the New South Wales Government Printer to the then Public Library of New South Wales. However, some black and white negatives and the colour autochromes taken on the Expedition were not received by the Library. These are located in the Mawson Antarctic Collection in South Australia.

FILE 01
Australasian Antarctic Expedition of 1911-1914 photographs : panoramic film (ON 144/FP1-FP8).

FILE 02
Australasian Antarctic Expedition of 1911-1914 photographs : whole plate format (ON 144/W1-W189).

FILE 03
Australasian Antarctic Expedition of 1911-1914 photographs : half plate format (ON 144/H1-H71).

FILE 04
Australasian Antarctic Expedition of 1911-1914 photographs : halfplate format (ON 144/H1-H724).

FILE 05
Australasian Antarctic Expedition of 1911-1914 photographs : quarter plate format (ON 144/Q1-Q32).

FILE 06
Australasian Antarctic Expedition of 1911-1914 photographs : quarter plate format (ON 144/Q1-Q845).

FILE 07
Australasian Antarctic Expedition of 1911-1914 photographs : continental size (ON 144/C1-C333).

FILE 08
Australasian Antarctic Expedition of 1911-1914 photographs : post card size (ON 144/P1-P274).

FILE 09
Australasian Antarctic Expedition of 1911-1914 photographs : half plate, stereoscopic (ON 144/H1-H100).

FILE 10
Australasian Antarctic Expedition of 1911-1914 photographs : postcard size, stereoscopic (ON 144/P1-P51).

System of arrangement is based on the original lists when the material was received by the Library in 1959-1960. These are arranged by format and colour.

Out of copyright:
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library of New South Wales

Although James Francis (Frank) Hurley was the official photographer to the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, other members of the expedition also took photographs.
Captions are based on the original listing made by Mawson circa 1914 of glass plate and nitrate negatives taken on the Australasian Antarctic Expedition (see ON 144 Preliminary Contents Listing), showing they are the product of at least 20 individuals. (Blake, Coombe, Correll, Davis, Gillies, Gray, Hamilton, Hoadley, Hunter, Hurley, Laseron, McGrath, McLean, Mawson, Mertz, Moyes, Primmer, Sandell, Sawyer and Wild.) -- Curator's notes, Mitchell Library, 2002