Douglas Mawson Exhibition : [poster]

Poster featuring photographs of Sir Douglas Mawson, his travel kit, polar explorers, sled teams and an iceberg.

The poster was published to promote the opening of the Mawson Gallery at the South Australian Museum. The main photograph is the famous one taken in 1931 of Mawson in his balaclava: this photo was used on Australia's first $100 note issued in 1984 and used until the design was changed in 1996.

At the bottom are five inset photographs that encompass Mawson's Antarctic expeditions. From left: a turreted iceberg photographed by Frank Hurley during the Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE) 1911-14, then Mawson's half-sled which he used after the loss of his two companions Belgrave Ninnis and Xavier Mertz on the AAE. Next is a group photograph of Mawson and the five men who remained in the Antarctic with him for the second winter, together with the men from the Macquarie Island base. Mawson is the third from the right in the middle row. The fourth photograph is of the successful South Magnetic Pole party comprising from left Alistair Mackay, Edgeworth David and Mawson. They attained the Pole during Ernest Shackleton's British Antarctic Expedition 1907-09. The last photograph is of a dog team and sledge. The dog teams on the AAE were very successful but there were insufficient of them for all parties to use them.

This item is reproduced courtesy of Mark Pharaoh, South Australian Museum. It may be printed or saved for research or study. Use for any other purpose requires written permission from Mark Pharaoh, South Australian Museum. To request approval, complete the Quote for Copy/Permission form.