The images were taken during Sir Ernest Shackleton's expedition at Cape Evans

Dec 28, 2013 19:56 GMT  ·  By

A small box of cellulose nitrate negatives has been discovered recently in Antarctica, picturing the white continent as it has never been seen before.

The pictures were taken during Ernest Shackleton's 1914-1917 Ross Sea Party expedition that went wrong when their ship blew out to sea during a blizzard, forcing the crew to live in Captain Scott's last expedition base at Cape Evans.

The Antarctic Heritage Trust has discovered the pictures during its Ross Sea Heritage Restoration Project that aims to preserve artifacts found in five historic sites in the Ross Sea region of the Antarctica.

The specialists managed to discover in expedition photographer Herbert Pointing's darkroom several cellulose nitrate negatives clumped together in a small box. Although many of the images were damaged, the Trust engaged photographic conservator Mark Strange to try and recover as many photos as possible.

After a painstaking process, 22 sheets managed to be saved and sent to New Zealand's Micrographic Services for scanning and converting to digital positives.

Although the identity of the photographer is unknown, the Antarctic Heritage Trust states that the expedition's photographer was Arnold Patrick Spencer-Smith, so it's likely that these photos were taken by him.

The non-profit organization plans to recover and preserve several artifacts belonging to Ernest Shackleton’s, Robert Falcon Scott’s, and Edmund Hillary’s expedition members. For the moment, the organization is focusing its attention on conserving artifacts from Scott's 1911 and 1902 expedition bases.

Nigel Watson, Antarctic Heritage Trust’s executive director, said, “It’s an exciting find and we are delighted to see them exposed after a century. It’s testament to the dedication and precision of our conservation teams’ efforts to save Scott’s Cape Evans hut.”

If you want to find out more about this amazing discovery, you should head over to the Antarctic Heritage Trust's website, where you can browse through the full image gallery.

Photo Gallery (5 Images)

Ernest Shackleton's 1914-1917 Ross Sea Party expedition photos
Ernest Shackleton's 1914-1917 Ross Sea Party expedition photosErnest Shackleton's 1914-1917 Ross Sea Party expedition photos
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