[Photo credit: Henry Aldridge and Son]
The photos were captured in December 1911 by Henry Bowers, who had been taught to use a camera by Herbert Ponting, the official photographer on the ill-fated Terra Nova expedition.
It was Bowers who first spotted a black flag that had been left at a camp by the party of rival explorer Roald Amundsen over a month before, signalling that Scott’s team had been beaten to the South Pole.
The photos were taken at Scott’s base camp at Cape Evans.
The collection of 52 negatives will be auctioned in Devizes, Wiltshire, on 18 April.
[Photo credit: Henry Aldridge and Son]
A spokesman for auctioneers Henry Aldridge and Son said: ‘The negatives offer an incredible snapshot into one of the most famous British Antarctic expeditions of the 20th century.
‘They show the brutal nature of the environment these brave men had to endure.
‘The clarity of the images is truly remarkable and includes previously unseen elements, including Cecil Meares, the dog handler, and Dimitri Gerof, the dog driver, a Polar party marching, their camp, the ice shelves, mountains, shelter for the ponies, pitching tents and even them having lunch.’
Scott’s party succumbed to the effects of bad weather on their return journey.
The archive is expected to fetch £30,000-£50,000.
