Objects & expedition gear

Scott’s sledge flag from the Terra Nova expedition

Historical record

Individually cataloged sledge flag associated by Royal Museums Greenwich with the Terra Nova expedition; accession ZBA1609.

What this record establishes

Institutional record documented; does not authenticate interpretations.

Record details

Original title
Sledge flag, Robert Falcon Scott — Terra Nova expedition
Artifact date
circa 1910
Holding institution
Royal Museums Greenwich, National Maritime Museum
Accession
ZBA1609

Scope of evidence

Evidence of this cataloged artifact, not evidence of modern speculative Antarctic claims.

Scott’s sledge flag in use at the South Pole — 1913 published photograph

Historical context for Scott’s sledge flag: the polar party at the South Pole, photographed by Henry Robertson Bowers in January 1912 and published in Scott’s Last Expedition (1913). The swallow-tailed sledge flag is visible beside Oates on the left. This is an independently digitized contemporary photograph, not a modern image of the museum relic ZBA1609.

Henry Robertson Bowers (1883–1912); Scott’s Last Expedition, vol. 1, arranged by Leonard Huxley (Smith, Elder, 1913), plate following printed p. 546. Museum Victoria / Biodiversity Heritage Library, via Internet Archive. Public domain.

Contemporary flag-in-use context, not an exact modern artifact photograph. The RMG catalogue says ZBA1609 was flown at the South Pole; curator Barbara Tomlinson identifies the museum flag as recognizable in the South Pole photographs. The independent 1913 plate shows the party, Scott family sledge flag and other flags; do not confuse the central Union Flag with Scott’s swallow-tailed flag. The separate modern RMG still-image rights hold remains intact.

Image source record · Reuse terms

Image rights and evidence limits

Public domain. BHL/Museum Victoria metadata explicitly identifies the 1913 volume as no longer under copyright. Photographer Henry Robertson Bowers died in 1912. This independently released book scan does not clear the modern RMG object photograph.

Image existence does not prove a linked claim. Consult image-specific captions and reuse conditions.

Sources and what they support

Links document the record, the claim’s circulation, an assessment, or reuse terms as labeled. A source link is not automatically corroboration.

Explore the same topic

Browse Objects & expedition gear Open the original vault record