The “Rediscovery” of Reginald Ford and his New Zealand Antarctic Lectures, 1905 to 1926

• Published in: Polar Record
• Main Author: Roche, Michael
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2022
• Subjects: General Earth and Planetary Sciences; Ecology; Geography, Planning and Development; Antarctic; New Zealand; Antarc*; Polar Record
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0032247422000341; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0032247422000341

Abstract Reginald Ford, steward on Scott’s Discovery expedition, settled in New Zealand in 1905 and over the next two decades gave public lectures about his Antarctic experiences. Hitherto unrelated biographical details of Ford’s early life are assembled, and something of the character of his lantern slide lectures are reconstructed from various sources. The means by which Ford established his authority as a public speaker included his actual participation in the events he lectured about, his credentialling as a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and the use of his own lantern slides. The “performative triangle” established around the audience, the lantern slide images, and Ford as lecturer, is examined via contemporary newspaper accounts and Ford’s other writings.