Image: Fran莽ois 脡tienne Musin, HMS Erebus in the Ice
Death in the Ice: The Mystery of The Franklin Expedition
On view June 07 鈥� Sept 29, 2019
Explore the enduring mystery behind Sir John Franklin鈥檚 tragic expedition. Leaving Britain in 1845 to chart the Northwest Passage through the Arctic, the expedition鈥檚 two ships and 129 men never returned. Through historical artifacts and Inuit oral history, this groundbreaking exhibition provides the most comprehensive account to date of Franklin鈥檚 final voyage.
Frozen. Isolated. Trapped.
In 1845, Sir John Franklin led the Royal Navy鈥檚 sturdiest two ships into the Arctic to great international acclaim. His mission: to discover a Northwest Passage to Asia. Franklin and his crew were never heard from again. Thirty-seven expeditions were launched from several countries in a decades-long effort to discover the fate of Franklin鈥檚 men. Tantalizing clues, including graves, provisions, Inuit tales, and a single handwritten note told a grim story, but the men and ships would never be found.
Discover one of the most fascinating mysteries in the history of exploration.
This most enduring of mysteries leapt back into the headlines in 2014 with the discovery of Franklin鈥檚 flagship, HMS Erebus, then two years later with the discovery of HMS Terror, each incredibly well preserved at depths of less than one hundred feet in the Arctic Ocean. Dives aboard the wrecks are rapidly changing our understanding of what befell Franklin鈥檚 expedition.
This exhibition pulls together the strands of this epic history. Included are expedition materials from London along with Inuit culture and knowledge that led to the wrecks鈥� discoveries from Canada, and artifacts raised from HMS Erebus.