Key artists and exhibits
Everest expeditions; Antarctic expedtions; David Livingstone collection; personal items formerly belonging to some of the world’s greatest explorers - from Shackleton’s helmet to H M Stanley’s boots. M C Andrews -strong in maps of British Isles, Ireland, and portolan charts; Sir H G Fordham - post-road books, maps, and itineraries especially of British Isles and of France ; G B Greenough - topographic maps of Europe etc., many annotated by him geologically. A range of some archival, reference, working, and proof copies of cartographic materials from the firms of Laurie & Whittle, G Philip, and E Stanford (incorporating Arrowsmith firm). Photographic collections - Arabia: The photographs of Captain W.H.I. Shakespear (1878-1915), Harry St John Philby (1885-1960), A. L. Holt, Gerald de Gaury and Sir George Rendel. Thomas Baines (1820-1875): Original oil paintings as well as sketches and watercolours (mainly of Africa and Australia) resident artist of the Society who accompanied David Livingstone on his 1858 expedition to the Zambezi. Samuel White Baker (1821-1893): Watercolour sketches of his expedition to locate the source of the Nile. Central Asia & Tibet: photographs by Jean Claude White, official photographer of the Younghusband Mission to Tibet in 1904, Douglas Carruthers (1882-1962) and portraits by the British botanist Frank Kingdon-Ward (1885-1958).