The British Antarctic (Terra Nova) Expedition, 1910-1913, on which Captain Robert Falcon Scott and four of his companions perished whilst returning from the South Pole, is one of the most important episodes in the history of exploration.

There to document the project was photographer, Herbert G Ponting. A fascinating individual who, among other things, would attempt to photograph to First World War.

No description I can muster captures the gravitas of his work on the Terra Nova project. It's also hard to imagine a more pure and better example of black and white photography. Ponting's work is a masterclass on why monochrome is effective, evocative and yet so strikingly simple - the images transport the viewer into the scene, in my opinion. They actually feel freezing cold, which is exactly the point.

This link takes you to a selection of his prints, and I'm really sorry to say I missed an exhibition of his material at the Natural History Museum some years ago. I find his work inspiring in the extreme.