Arctic Regions and British America

Detailed map of Arctic exploration alluding to the grim fate of the lost Franklin Expedition.

In the second half of the 19th century, the polar regions represented one of the last great unexplored frontiers on the globe. There are many tales of heroism and heartbreak, but he lost expedition of Sir John Franklin is one of the most tragic stories in the history of Arctic exploration.

In 1845, Franklin departed England with two ships, the HMS Terror and the HMS Erebus, determined to be the first to successfully navigate the Northwest Passage through upper Canada. Both ships were caught in the ice for over a year, after which point the remaining survivors attempted to trek to the mainland. Ultimately, all hands on both ships were lost, but that didn’t prevent numerous rescue missions supported by Franklin’s wife and the British government.

This map, published less than a decade after the disaster, shows the most up-to-date geographic information gained from the most recent of such operations. Two inset maps are present – one shows the discoveries made by the search parties led by Captain Austin and Captain Penny while the second shows large scale detail of Beechey Island, the site of Franklin’s first winter quarters.

Engraved by John Bartholomew and published in Edinburgh by A. & C. Black in 1854.