"Well-Found Ship, Full Equipment, and High Hopes": Material Culture Studies and the Outfitting of Historic Antarctic Expeditions

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Pre-Recorded Video Presentation Things and the Global Antarctica", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Human experiences of Antarctica have often been mediated through scientific expeditions, which can operate only with a full complement of equipment. The importance of some of this equipment, such as scientific instruments, is readily apparent. Yet what can we learn from examining more mundane gear that is no less essential to Antarctic expeditions: food, clothing, books?

Using a material culture studies lens, this paper argues for the importance of including everyday supplies when studying human-thing relationships in Antarctica. Drawing examples from early British expeditions, this paper demonstrates that seemingly ordinary equipment reveals how Antarctica was (and still is) connected to global networks of industrialization, colonialism, and retail markets. In particular, the prevailing image of Antarctica as an isolated wilderness stood in contrast to the ways in which British advertisements featured Antarctic explorers; promoting the idea that items such as chocolate and canned meat were essential for experiencing the southernmost continent.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Pre-Recorded Video Presentation Things and the Global Antarctica   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023

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Contact(s): Nicole Haddow