Primary sourcePhotograph1915
Shackleton's Ship Endurance Illuminated, Weddell Sea, Antarctica, 1915
Frank Hurley · 1915
Frank Hurley's night photograph of the Endurance trapped and lit by flashes in the Weddell Sea ice, the defining image of the expedition.
This photograph shows Shackleton's ship trapped in the ice, the event that triggered the expedition's survival crisis.
About this source
What it is
This is a photograph taken in 1915 by Frank Hurley, the expedition's photographer, showing Shackleton's ship Endurance frozen into the Weddell Sea pack ice and lit at night using twenty flashes. The vintage print is held by the State Library of New South Wales.
Why it matters
The image captures the months the ship spent trapped before it was crushed, and has become the most famous visual record of the expedition. It shows the skill of Frank Hurley as a photographer working in extreme conditions, and gives a sense of the isolation and danger the crew faced under Shackleton's command.
Look closer
- How do you think Hurley managed to light the ship at night with twenty flashes?
- What mood does the darkness and ice create in this photograph?
- What does this image leave out about daily life on the trapped ship?
This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Ernest Shackleton on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.
More Ernest Shackleton sources
Meet the AI Ernest Shackleton →
BookPrimary source
South
Ernest Shackleton · 1919
ArtifactPrimary source
James Caird
1914–1916
Primary source
My South Polar Expedition
Ernest Shackleton · 30 March 1910 (recorded); July 1910 (released)
Primary source
The Heart of the Antarctic
Ernest Shackleton · 1909
PhotographPrimary source
Ernest Shackleton Studio Portrait
George Charles Beresford · 1909
Ready when you are
Start chatting with Ernest Shackleton now.
20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.