Photographed in 1845, first printed in 1851, and then sitting in storage for 178 years, Richard Beard's daguerreotypes of the Franklin Expedition have been sold at public auction (Sothebys) for £444,500 ($545,677 USD,) more than double the top of the expected range.
I've written about auctions and the Franklin Expedition before. Now, we get to talk about both. These images are a touchstone of the Heroic Age of Exploration.
Richard Beard and Lady Jane Franklin
Beard was commissioned by Sir John Franklin's wife, Lady Jane Franklin to memorialize images of Franklin's officers before they set off in search of the North West Passage in 1845. As we know, Franklin was unsuccessful in making the passage; it would seem that Lady Jane's decision to commission these photos was a stroke of genius.
When we look at these, what do we see? Folly? Courage? A combination of both? It's important to remember in judging the expedition that, to date, there have only been 351 transits of the passage since Amundsen's passage on the Goja, 1904-1906. This isn't a trip undertaken lightly today, never mind 178 years ago.
There is a somewhat mythical connection between Franklin's expedition and Beard's photos from the dawn of photography. Photography today is omnipresent, but in 1851, it was something like magic to most. Having the ability to look at these men, long dead, truly is a moment seized in time.
Illustrated London News Woodcuts
These images first showed up after public imagination about the fate of the Franklin Expedition reached a fever peak. The Illustrated London News published woodcuts from Beard's daguerreotypes on September 13, 1851.
The Daguerreotypes and The Polar Institute
Until recently, it was thought that the only full collection of the original daguerreotypes was held by the Scott Polar Research Institute in England. It had been thought that the other copies had been passed around to relatives of each of the officers. It turns out that someone in Franklin's family had tucked away a full set.
The Auction Images
Interestingly, the images that just sold are hand painted, further illuminating the uniforms and in some way, the confidence of the sailors depicted.
I've always found these images haunting in the same way that I find most conflict photography images haunting. We know as a matter of fact that none of these men made it home to sleep in their beds ever again.
I've wondered in previous articles whether there is any chance at all of images sitting in the bottom of the Arctic Ocean, waiting to be discovered. Seeing the quality of these images, albeit, stored properly, I continue to wonder if the icebox that might hold more of Franklin's treasures is waiting to be discovered.
Color images provided by Sotheby's, black and white images and reprinted woodcut images are in the public domain.
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