View over the Hawkesbury River in New South Wales, taken by Vincent Clarence Scott O’Connor during the 1920s

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Porters crossing a river during Eric Shipton and Bill Tilman’s 1934 Nanda Devi expedition.
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Tribesmen smeared with mud as a sign of mourning, Netherlands New Guinea (now Papua, Indonesia), taken by AFR Wollaston, 1912–13

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The spinning room in a cotton mill, Columbia, South Carolina, USA, 1937
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Tehuelche women, Argentina, taken by F Leblanc, 1898
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Looking up the entire length of the three locks at Gatun, Panama Canal, taken by EB Gibbes, 1912Read on

Campsite of a traveller beside a river in the high forest of western Cameroon, taken by Ivan T Sanderson, 1930s
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Snake charmers in Banares, Uttar Pradesh, India, taken by D Oliver, 1930–40
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Cattle fair at Andorra la Vella, taken by FH Deverell, October 1889
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Evening on the Yunzalin River, Burma, taken by Vincent Clarence Scott O’Connor, 1900–10Read on

Watering pool, Solomon Islands, taken by JB Thurston, 1868–72Read on

Karo La, taken by CG Rawling, 1904, during the British mission to TibetRead on

Jama Masjid, Mandu, Madhya Pradesh, India, taken by Vernon & Co, 1912Read on

Night watchman returns after inspecting the ice around the EnduranceRead on

Inside the tent of Fahad Bey, head of the Anazah tribe, Garah, Iraq, by Gertrude Bell, 1909–18Read on

View from cave into forest, Mount Elgon, Uganda, taken by Ernest Gedge, 1890
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Tipi village, USA, early 20th centuryRead on

Frank Worsley and Lionel Greenstreet looking across Grytviken Harbour, South Georgia, taken by Frank Hurley, 1914Read on

Sheep shearing at Yandilla, Australia, taken by John Thomson, 1900–10
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The Three Brothers, Yosemite Valley, California, USA, taken by Carleton Watkins, 1861–75Read on

Thomas Clissold atop the Matterhorn berg, taken by Herbert Ponting during the 1910–13 British Antarctic expeditionRead on

Hankou, China, 1895, taken by Isabella Lucy Bishop (née Bird)Read on

A polo match in Hunza, British India, 1922–23Read on

Hidden but not forgotten

Published to coincide with a new RGS-IBG project and exhibition, Hidden Histories, this selection of archive images celebrates the role local people played in the history of explorationRead on

Documenting polar exploration

The long history of polar expeditions is explored in these photographs, paintings and artefacts from the Royal Geographical Society’s archivesRead on

Out of the woods

A selection of images from the archives of the Royal Geogaphical Society depict forests and forestry through the agesRead on

Hunting high and low

A selection of images from the Royal Geographical Society’s archives shows hunting in its various guises, from indigenous people on the hunt for food to the Victorian obsession with Africa’s big gameRead on

Café society

Ever since its ninth-century origins in the highlands of Ethiopia, the cultivation and consumption of coffee has been a central element of cultures across the world, as these images from the Royal Geographical Society’s archives showRead on

Spiritual healing

Images drawn from the archives of the Royal Geographical Society document a variety of traditional medicine practices
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Russia's frigid heart

Images from the Royal Geographical Society archives give insight to Siberia during a period where it was relatively unknown to the outside worldRead on

Missing, presumed dead

Images from the archives of the Royal Geographical Society recall those who set off to explore the world but never made it back homeRead on

The sound of music

A selection of images from the Royal Geographical Society archives shed light on a variety of unusual musical instruments from around the worldRead on

Power and glory

Images from the archives of the Royal Geographical Society depict kings, chiefs and other notables of the past Read on

Desert driver

Images from the RGS archives illustrate the pioneering work of Ralph Alger Bagnold and the Long Range Desert Group, a British Army unit that worked behind enemy lines in the Sahara during the Second World WarRead on

Before they were famous

These images, drawn from the archives of the Royal Geographical Society, capture some of today’s biggest tourism drawcards before the crowds arrivedRead on

The making of modern-day Manila

Images from the RGS archives show the Philippine capital as it was at the turn of the 20th centuryRead on

Faraway islands

 Turn-of-the-century images from the Faroe Islands Read on

Japan

A series of hand-painted, stylised images from the archives of the Royal Geographical SocietyRead on

Open all hours

The focal points for communities around the world for centuries, markets have also been popular with photographers, as these images from the Royal Geographical Society showRead on

Seeing China

Historical images of the world’s most populous nation drawn from the archives of the Royal Geographical Society for a new exhibitionRead on

Building society

 A collection of images from the RGS archives illustrates some of the mammoth construction projects of yesteryearRead on

Getting from a to b

As these images from the archives of the Royal Geographical Society show, over the years, people have come up with a wide variety of methods to get themselves around.Read on

Before the Boom

A selection of images drawn from the RGS archives which show Mexico City at the turn of the last centuryRead on

Voyages of discovery

A selection of images drawn from the RGS archives which illustrate the close connection between exploration and scientific discoveryRead on

The Call to Arms

A selection of images drawn from the archives of the RGS showing soldiers from around the world.Read on

Crude awakening

Early images of oil production from Iran to Indonesia and from Georgia to JapanRead on

The birth of tourism

Early images of some iconic travel destinations taken from the archives of the RGSRead on

Out of Africa

Images from a new exhibition that tells the story of the freed African slaves who became the unsung heroes of the 19th century explorationRead on

A woman's work

A selection of images that demonstrate the variety and value of women’s work – from Iran to India and from Mongolia to MalaysiaRead on

Steeped in history

Tea is said to have been discovered as long ago as the 28th century BC. These images, drawn from the archives of the Royal Geographical Society, offer an insight into tea culture around the worldRead on

Trade Roots

Since before the late 15th century, when the age of discovery began in earnest, exploration and commerce have been closely connected.Read on

End of Empire

Between April 1910 and March 1911, photographers Morgan Philips Price and Douglas Carruthers travelled through Siberia, Mongolia, Western China, Russian Turkestan and Armenia.Read on

Armed and dangerous

For as long as humans have existed, we’ve been waging war with each other. These images, from the archives of the Royal Geographical Society, explore the history of warriors and weaponry from around the world Read on

All the world's a stage

Dance and performance are used for more than just entertainment and celebration. Here, a selection of images from the Royal Geographical Society's archives capture dances and performances from around the worldRead on

Afghanistan uncovered

From Kabul to Kandahar: 1833–1933 is an exhibition of photographs, drawings and lithographs illustrating life in Afghanistan when Tsarist Russia and Britain were battling for control of Central AsiaRead on