John Franklin (1786–1847)

Phillips's portrait of John Franklin from around 1808 depicts the Arctic explorer at the beginning of his naval career—before the expeditions that would make him famous and the final voyage in search of the Northwest Passage that cost him and all his men their lives in 1845-48. Franklin's disappearance in the Arctic ice would become the nineteenth century's greatest maritime mystery, inspiring over forty search expeditions and a vast literature of polar exploration. This early portrait, made when Franklin was a young naval officer with no particular fame, acquires its historical significance entirely from the subsequent trajectory of his career and the enduring fascination with the mystery of his death.

Phillips renders the explorer with the resolute bearing that characterized British naval officers of the period. The portrait captures Franklin before the final, tragic expedition, its calm confidence contrasting poignantly with the fate that awaited. The handling is professional, serving the documentary needs of polar exploration history.