Our extensive polar collections includes material relating to the British Antarctic expeditions of the early 20th century, and in particular the key achievements and experiences of two eminent figures of Antarctic exploration: Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton. Scott was the first Antarctic explorer to employ a professional photographer, Herbert Ponting, as part of his crew on the 1910-1913 British Antarctic Expedition. In 1914, Shackleton invited the Australian photographer Frank Hurley to document his Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Their remarkable photographs provide an amazing visual record of human endurance, determination and achievement.