The North Pole bid that never was: Forgotten photos from failed 1875 British expedition reveal the scurvy-hit crew's efforts 30 years before history was made

Remarkable images from the early days of photography depict the brave men and their Inuit guides
They endured sub-zero temperatures 141 years ago in bid to become first people to reach North Pole
Captain Sir George Nares led British Arctic Expedition which came within 400 miles of historic objective
They had to turn back after a third of the crew went down with scurvy, which later led to public outrage[CN]

早期的非凡照片上是勇敢的船员和他们的因纽特人向导。141年前他们承受住零下严寒，成为第一批到达北极的人。队长George Nares带领这支大英北极探险队，想走完400英里的历史性目标。1/3船员得了坏血病后，他们不得不返回，后来引起公愤。

Rare image: This glass slide depicting the British expedition to the North Pole in 1875 shows the explorers approaching the freezing waters of Greenland. The remarkable images from the early days of photography have been found 140 years later[CN]

珍稀图片：这个玻璃载片描述的是大英探险队1875到达北极的故事。图中，探险者们接触格林兰岛的冰冻海域。这张早期拍摄的非凡照片140年后被找到了。

Group photo: The brave men and their Inuit guides (pictured) endured sub-zero temperatures to try to become the first people to reach the North Pole in 1875.Photographers Thomas Mitchell and George White went on the failed expedition[CN]

集体照：1875年，勇士们和他们的因纽特向导（如图）忍受着零下严寒，试图成为第一批达到北极的人。摄影师Thomas Mitchell和George White也参加了此次失败的探险。

Killed: The crew hunted this walrus for food and fuel, which was pictured in one of 42 glass slides found in a box during a house clearance in Cornwall. The photos are now going under the hammer at The Penzance Auction House tomorrow[CN]

猎杀食物：船员猎杀海象取得食物和燃油，照片是42块玻璃载片（类似于现在的胶卷）之一拍摄的。康沃尔大扫除的时候在一个箱子里发现的。明天这些照片就将在彭赞斯拍卖行拍卖。

Teamwork: Captain Sir George Nares led the British Arctic Expedition more than 140 years ago which came within 400 miles of their historic objective. The crew are pictured on their expedition to the North Pole with their ships locked into the ice[CN]

团队合作：140多年前，队长George Nares带领这支大英北极探险队，走了400英里，想完成历史性目标。图中拍到在他们去北极的探险中，船搁浅在冰块中。

Digging deep: The images show some of the harsh conditions the men faced in their quest to reach the North Pole. They eventually had to turn back after a third of the crew went down with scurvy, which later led to public outrage
[CN]

深度挖掘：图片是是探寻到达北极途中这些船员遇到的一些恶劣情况。最后他们不得不返回，因为1/3的人得了坏血病倒下了，后来还引起了公愤。

Stuck: The crew constructed outbuildings from ice after their ships were frozen in and they overwintered in the Arctic[CN]

陷入困境：船被冻住后，船员们用冰块建造了外屋，在北极过了寒冬。

Dog sleds on ice: The images were the earliest photographic images of polar exploration and set a precedent in photography[CN]

狼狗在冰上拉雪橇：这些图片是北极探险的最早照片，在摄影上树立了先例。

Split through the centre: The remarkable images from 1875 include this one of a huge ice boulder with a cleft in the middle[CN]

冰块中分：这些1875年不可思议的照片中，有张大冰石中间龟裂的。

Dangerous: The crew attempted to reach the North Pole and initially received a hero’s welcome upon their return to Britain

Surrounded by ice: Queen Victoria sent a congratulatory telegram after the men travelled further north than any other human

Not moving: In the winter of the 1875 expedition the ships were frozen into the ice sheet in Greenland and became stuck

Impressive achievement: The crews made it further north than any other human and had mapped the coast of Greenland

Dating back 14 decades: The local Innuit population acted as guides for the British expedition to the North Pole in 1875

On the boat: Public opinion on the achievement changed when it was realised several crew members had died from scurvy

Dog teams attempting to reach the Pole: Sir George was accused of not doing enough to protect his men from scurvy

Innuit guides: The Arctic images were 'probably produced for lecture purposes', according to The Penzance Auction House

A stunning collection of rare glass slides of a British expedition to the North Pole in 1875 has been uncovered.

The remarkable images from the early days of photography depict the brave men and their Inuit guides.

They endured sub-zero temperatures 141 years ago in their bid to become the first people to reach the North Pole. 

Captain Sir George Nares led the British Arctic Expedition which came within 400 miles of their historic objective.

However they had to turn back after a third of the crew went down with scurvy, which later led to public outrage.

Photographers Thomas Mitchell and George White went on the expedition and took dozens of images.

The images show some of the harsh conditions the men faced in their quest to reach the North Pole.

One image depicts a number of crew using pick axes to try and free their ship that had become trapped by ice.

Another shows bearded men with dirty faces wrapped up in fur coats and thick jumpers sat on a sled.

Other images show a large walrus the men killed for food and a huge ice boulder with a cleft in the middle of it.

Also pictured are some of the outbuildings the team had to build while they overwintered in the Arctic.

The images were the earliest photographic images of polar exploration and set a precedent in photography.

This was followed by professionals such as Herbert Ponting who was on the 1911 Scott of the Antarctic expedition.

The three-inch square glass slides were found concealed in a small box during a house clearance in Cornwall.

They are now being sold at auction tomorrow by The Penzance Auction House.

Mimi Connel-Lay from the auction house, said: ‘These fascinating early Arctic images were probably produced for lecture purposes.

'(They) show us in excellent quality all manner of expedition details such as clothing, equipment, the parties involved as well as some remarkable images of the indigenous Greenlanders.

‘They carry an estimate of £500 to £1000, so they are certainly not the most wildly valuable of items.

'But for teaching us about a forgotten moment in our history, they are rather priceless and I am delighted we were asked to sell them.’

Initially, the expedition team received a hero’s welcome upon their return to Britain and Queen Victoria sent a congratulatory telegram.

This came after the men travelled further north than any other human and had mapped the coast of Greenland.

But public opinion soon changed when it was realised several crew members had died from scurvy on the trip.

Sir George, who had previously commanded the first ship to sail through the Suez Canal, was accused of not doing enough to protect his men from disease.