Album of Photographs and Sketches with a Portfolio of Panoramic Views.
London: Royal Society, 1908.
Album and accompanying portfolio, quarto, the Album containing 141 plates (twenty sepia photogravure plates, 229 black and white photographs on 108 plates, and thirteen illustrations by Edward Wilson), and the Portfolio containing loosely two large colour folding maps and twenty-four extraordinary folding panoramas (numbered CXXIX-CLII) by Edward Wilson, three of which are over nine feet in length; both pieces in their original matching quarter russet cloth bindings, as issued.
Including the famous and extensive series of panoramas by Edward Wilson
This Royal Society publication offers a remarkable visual assembly, providing an extensive display of the Antarctic scenes and wonders that the expedition experienced. Edward Wilson's panoramas contained in the separate portfolio are extraordinarily atmospheric visualisations of the untouched polar landscape, while the photographs in the Album, and especially the beautiful sepia photogravure plates, are of notbaly high quality and starting in their imagery. "This glorious and most popular work among the reports of the Discovery expedition is a large scale photographic and illustrative study of Antarctic landscapes and wildlife; it is the logical extension of the great atlases that derived from the expeditions of Bellingshausen, Dumont d'Urville and Wilkes before the age of photography... The Royal Society considered the material so worthy and complete as to justify publication as a separate work, particularly because of the importance in documenting the evanescent and changeable nature of the Antarctic icescape..." (Rosove). "The photographs were taken mostly by Lieut. R.W. Skelton, one of the unsung heroes of Antarctic exploration and a photographer of no mean ability, and there are some by Shackleton, Bernacchi, Royds and a couple of others. The subjects range from fine topographic views to delightful, interesting and informative natural history subjects (penguins and seals) and to ice and snow formations" (Renard).
This Royal Society publication offers a remarkable visual assembly, providing an extensive display of the Antarctic scenes and wonders that the expedition experienced. Edward Wilson's panoramas contained in the separate portfolio are extraordinarily atmospheric visualisations of the untouched polar landscape, while the photographs in the Album, and especially the beautiful sepia photogravure plates, are of notbaly high quality and starting in their imagery. "This glorious and most popular work among the reports of the Discovery expedition is a large scale photographic and illustrative study of Antarctic landscapes and wildlife; it is the logical extension of the great atlases that derived from the expeditions of Bellingshausen, Dumont d'Urville and Wilkes before the age of photography... The Royal Society considered the material so worthy and complete as to justify publication as a separate work, particularly because of the importance in documenting the evanescent and changeable nature of the Antarctic icescape..." (Rosove). "The photographs were taken mostly by Lieut. R.W. Skelton, one of the unsung heroes of Antarctic exploration and a photographer of no mean ability, and there are some by Shackleton, Bernacchi, Royds and a couple of others. The subjects range from fine topographic views to delightful, interesting and informative natural history subjects (penguins and seals) and to ice and snow formations" (Renard).
"Very scarce" in Rosove's designation.
::
Renard, 1129; Rosove, 288-7.A1; Spence, 838.
Condition Report: In fine condition other than some marking to the spine of the album volume.
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