Maritime Polar Expedition Illustrated London News Front Page "The New Arctic Expedition in Search of Sir John Franklin-H.M.Screw Steam-ship "Phoenix"

Antique Front Page from the June 4, 1853 Edition ofThe Illustrated London News. Text relating to the wood engraving is on rear of page together with the red stamp logo of the ILN in lower left corner.

Franklin's lost expedition was a British voyage  tha set off to find and travers the last unavigated section of the Northwest Passage in the treacherous Arctic. Led by Captain Sir John Franklin, who had been Lieutenent Governor of Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) 1837-43, departed England in 1845. A Royal Navy officer and experienced explorer, Franklin had served on three previous Arctic expeditions, the latter two as commanding officer. His fourth and last, undertaken when he was 59. After a few early fatalities, the two ships became icebound in Victoria Strait near King William Island in the Canadian Arctic. The entire expedition, 129 men, were lost. After several unsuccessful searches, in 1854  John Rae interviews local Inuit, who give him items from the expedition and tell him the men starved to death, after resorting to cannibalism. It was not until September 2014 that Ryan Harris, and underwater archeologist, announced the finding ian underwater wreck that he said was "indisputably" one of Franklin's two ships. Later it was stated tobe HMS Erebus. Recommended book on topic is Ice Blink- Tragic Fate of Franklin's Lost Polar Expedition by Scott Cookman

Condtion = Excellent

Size of Page= 27.5 x 40cm / Size of "HMSS Phoenix" = 23.5 x 15cm