Endurance Photographs

On 5 March 2022, exactly 100 years after Sir Ernest Shackleton’s death, the wreck of the Endurance was located at the bottom of the Weddell Sea. Images of the remarkably preserved ship stirred new interest in one of the great historic tales of heroism, and the story of the discovery is celebrated in the 2024 Disney+ documentary Endurance. 

This definitive collection showcases the official visual record of Endurance in a lavish large format, using digitally mastered prints made direct from the negatives. These are shown alongside the original glass and celluloid plates, taken and rescued by Frank Hurley – the expedition’s official photographer – which capture the reality of a two-year fight for survival. 

The extraordinary images can now be viewed at full definition, revealing previouly unseen details. They are accompanied by a portfolio of essays written by leading experts to shed fresh light on the fate of Endurance, plus a collectible catalogue raisonné of all 280 of Hurley’s photographic masterpieces.

The Royal Geographical Society has commissioned essays from authors including Mensun Bound, Shane Murphy, Alexandra Shackleton, and Jean de Pomerue.

PROFESSOR DAME JANE FRANCIS is the President of the Royal Geographical Society and Director of the British Antarctic Survey.

THE HON. ALEXANDRA SHACKLETON is Ernest Shackleton’s granddaughter, and President of the James Caird Society.

EUGENE RAE is the Principal Librarian of the Royal Geographical Society.

DR. JEAN DE POMEREU is a specialist in the visual and material culture of Antarctica.

SHANE MURPHY is a leading expert on the life and works of Frank Hurley and the Endurance expedition.

FRANS LANTING is a celebrated photographer and expert on Antarctic expedition photography.

MENSUN BOUND is a maritime archeologist, and was Director of Exploration for Endurance22, the team that located the wreck of the Endurance in 2022.