Ice cased Adelie penguins after a blizzard at Cape Denison / photograph by Frank Hurley, originally uploaded by State Library of New South Wales collection.
My new favorite place to surf is The Commons on Flickr. The Commons is considered to be the world’s first public photo collection. Everyone is welcome to review, describe, and comment on the photos. In there you can find amazing gems like the above photo from this collection:
“In 1911 a group of scientists and adventurers left Hobart under the leadership of Dr Douglas Mawson. They were bound for Macquarie Island and the then unknown parts of Antarctica. The scientists of the expedition produced information that later made an major contribution to knowledge of the region. The exploration of new lands established precedence to claims, formalised in 1936 as the Australian Antarctic Territory. Although James Francis (Frank) Hurley was the official photographer to the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, other members of the expedition also took photographs.”
There are tons of historic photographs from such collections as The State Library of New South Wales, Swedish National Heritage Board, and The Library of Congress, among many many others. Browsing is like taking a mental vacation. The imagery is so stunning and rich. Every photo evokes a detailed story.
Take some time and flip through a few images. Which ones are you drawn to?
