UK Royal Geographical Society Exhibits Rare Images Of 1914-1917 Antarctic Expedition

The Royal Geographical Society in the U.K. is presently honoring the achievements of Sir Ernest Shackleton as well as those involved in the Endurance Expedition with newly digitalized images, unseen so far.

The images show the crew’s struggle for survival before and after their ship was destroyed. The Enduring Eye exhibition opened to the public Nov. 21, exactly 100 years after the Endurance sank in the Weddell Sea. The exhibition will run at the Society until Feb. 28, 2016. The images will then travel the rest of the U.K. and international venues.

The original glass plate and celluloid negatives have been securely stored and directly digitalized. The images include high resolution information of life on the Weddell Sea. The exhibition of these rare images can also be viewed online.

"Every image had to earn its place because it cost a lot; both to buy the glass plates and to develop and each one had to matter," curator Meredith Hooper told Al Jazeera journalist Jessica Baldwin.

Australian born expedition photographer Frank Hurley took the images and hoped the images would be “seen at as large scale size as possible.” “100 years later, this intention is honored with giant dimension prints, some over 2 meters in width and height, at the heart of the exhibition,” the official website says.

The Antarctic historian Meredith Hooper has researched, written and curated the exhibition. A number of “precious survivors” have also contributed to make the exhibition possible.

Enduring Eye is supported by the Governments of the British Antarctic Territory and South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands, the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 and the U.K. Antarctic Heritage Trust.