George Mallory: Magdalene to the Mountain

The exhibition will draw on material held in the Magdalene College Archive to reflect on the life and career of George Mallory.

Starting by focusing on his time at Magdalene and covering his academic interests, his sporting achievements and his social and cultural pursuits. It will move on to highlight his experiences during WWI, drawing on the letters he exchanged with his wife Ruth during his service in France. This provides invaluable information into his character and also the social history of life at home and the part played by women.

The remainder of the exhibition looks at his time on the three expeditions to Everest and his lecture tour in the USA as told through his own letters, before commemorating the deaths of Mallory and Irvine on the mountain.

The exhibition will coincide with the conclusion of a major project to digitise all of Mallory’s correspondence allowing these letters to be made available for viewing online.

In association with The Foster Museum, Palo Alto, California, the archival material will be complemented by a series of watercolours of the north and eastern faces of Mt. Everest, and its northern approaches, by the en plein air artist Tony Foster.

Opening Times

20 June - 28 September 2024
Open: 14:00 - 16:00 Monday - Saturday
Closed: Sunday

Information for Visitors

• to arrange access to the exhibition please call into the Porters’ Lodge on Magdalene Street
• entrance will be to the Gallery and Pepys Library only
• visitors are requested not to enter other parts of the New Library

Seminar

George Mallory: Magdalene to the Mountain
19 June 2024, 16:30 – 18:00

This pre-exhibition event explores the life of George Mallory, the world-famous mountaineer and member of Magdalene College, who lost his life on Everest one hundred years ago. Three compelling presentations on aspects of Mallory's wide-ranging experience as a student, a husband to Ruth and a legendary climber, will be given by a distinguished panel of experts.

Find out more