International Exploration and Discovery

Nineteenth and twentieth century voyages of exploration and scientific expeditions were motivated in part by in the expansion of territories, and by profit – be it for the discovery of new trade routes or commercial ventures. They often resulted in new scientific, geographical and cultural discoveries.

From the moment photography became more accessible it also became a complementary means of documenting these expeditions, along with log books, sketches and diaries. The images in the photographic collection cover themes such as the daily lives of ships crew, working life at sea, new landscapes, wildlife, other vessels and foreign cultures, as well as photography for the purpose of documenting samples and mapping out the geography of new places, such as; Greenland, the Arctic, the Antarctic and Alaska.

In particular, the collections hold some fine examples of whaling and exploration. Our primary collections regarding this theme come from D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson Lantern Slide Collection, as well as Album-111.

Some of our collections illustrate life in African countries during the 20th Century, including Uganda and Sudan. The Michael Merchant photographic collection provides a broad account of life in Uganda between 1956 and 1970. The Ladislav Holy Social Anthropology photographs give further insights into ethnography in Sudan.

Warning: Graphic images included, which some may find disturbing.

Collections