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From the institute’s Photo Librarypor_159 141

doi:10.1111/j.1751-8369.2010.00159.x

Hanna Marie Resvoll-Holmsen (1873–1943) poses in front of a glacier debouching into the fjord Lilliehöökfjorden, a
branch of Krossfjorden, in western Spitsbergen, in 1908. The pioneering Norwegian botanist carried out fieldwork in the
Arctic archipelago of Svalbard during expeditions sponsored by Prince Albert I of Monaco in 1907 and 1908. Resvoll-
Holmsen was put ashore with her tent and provisions at remote locations along the coast. She worked industriously,
mapping vegetation on the western side of Spitsbergen, discovering new species and laying groundwork for subsequent
investigations of the archipelago’s plant communities. Resvoll-Holmsen thrived on her solitude in the harsh wilderness.
Alone in her little camp in Colesbukta, she wrote: “Time passes far too quickly. Tent life is wonderful . . .” A skilled
photographer, Resvoll-Holmsen was among the first Norwegian scientists to make use of colour photography, which she
first experimented with in Svalbard.

The Norwegian Polar Institute’s Photo Library preserves some 90 000 polar-related images captured during the last 135
years, including glass plates and slides, stereo images, print photographs and modern digital photographs. Images
documenting Norwegian activities in the Arctic and Antarctic comprise the bulk of the collection. Scanning the older
images and registering newer digital ones is an ongoing endeavour. To date, digital versions of over 30 000 pictures are
available in a searchable online database at http://sivert.npolar.no/fotoweb/. Search words associated with the online
images are mostly in the Norwegian language; please send an e-mail to bildearkiv@npolar.no for assistance in searching
the database.

Polar Research 29 2010 141 © 2010 the author, journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd 141

http://sivert.npolar.no/fotoweb
mailto:bildearkiv@npolar.no