The Royal Geographical Society: Maps, Mountains & Explorers

Stunning fireplace in the hall of the RGS with a framed arctic landscape over the mantel. I thought the blue & white tile & marble were gorgeous!

I’ve gotten so behind on blogging this week! Between our day trip to Bath, daily site visits, and exploring London's exhibitions & attractions—often in the sweltering heat—I've been completely wiped out by the end of the day. I nicknamed one tube line, Piccadilly, the Lucifer line! You take these crazy steep escalators down almost reaching the Earth’s core before you are packed like sweaty sardines into a tube carriage that feels like a furnace.  

So, it’s now Friday and this blog is about Monday’s visit to the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) in Kensington where we met up with Dr. Katie Parker, cartographic collections manager. I did not know much about the RGS since exploring has not been a particular interest of mine--though I do love old maps. My favorite map at home is a framed antique map of France that shows the country's 18 regions. 

A rare Chinese world map from 1644 AD with China & the Pacific in the center located in the RGS Map Room

The RGS was founded in 1830 as a learned society with the goal of advancing geographical sciences. However, the goals of the time coincided with the ideals of British Imperialism whereby exploration was tied to land-grabbing--even lands already inhabited by others. The RGS obtained a permanent home for its collections, geographic journals & maps, in 1913. Following the havoc of the World Wars the RGS became focused on boosting national morale and expeditions that demonstrated resilience and strength were heavily subsidized by the British government. Expeditions to the summit of Mount Everest were symbolic of British perseverance. 

The largest item at RGS--a model of Mount Everest located in the Map Room

Dr. Parker displayed many objects from various expeditions in both cold and hot climates (see below) such as the Burberry balaclava (top left), which I learned that the company started out providing waterproof outdoor clothing, a compass used by Livingstone in Africa (top right), a pith helmet also worn by Livingstone (bottom left), and a boot from an Everest expedition (bottom, right).

Truth be told I do not have a ton of interest in the colonial expeditions led by white European men nor the "chest-pounding, conquering the mountain" expeditions that took place after the Wars. The well-known explorers, such as Darwin & Livingstone, would not have been able to accomplish their goals without the help of local guides. I much prefer the stories of guides such as Arnarulunnguaq, a Inuit woman and the most well-traveled Arctic explorer of all time.

Portrait of Arnarulunnguaq hanging the RGS hall

The RGS is currently doing a wonderful job highlighting the untold stories of local guides as well as female explorers who made impacts on geographical exploration in their physical spaces and website.

Coming up next is our day trip to Bath by train!

Royal Geographical Society