Join us for Icon's 3rd Annual Lecture, where we delve into the famed and mysterious wreckages of Captain Sir John Franklin's 1845 'lost expedition'.
Recently the subject of hit AMC and BBC TV series The Terror, Franklin's Arctic exploration marked a key – if not catastrophic – moment in British maritime history. But what secrets can conservation reveal about this calamity? And how can certain conservation strategies help protect the integrity of the wreckage's objects, whilst also preserving the physical manifestations of time?
In her presentation, Flora Davidson will discuss the practical efforts and underlying ethical considerations that went into conserving such a complex series of artifacts.
A mysterious past: conservation of artifacts raised from the wrecks of Sir John Franklin’s fateful 1845 expedition
Shipwrecks are often likened to time capsules. This is the expectation, or perhaps hope, with the discovery of the wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror. After almost 170 years since the disappearance of both ships belonging to Sir John Franklin’s 1845 Arctic expedition, it was presumed that the discovery of the wrecks and the close examination of the objects recovered would provide further insight as to the events that lead the crew and ships to their ultimate demise.
The sea, however, is not a benign force. While some materials may remain in relatively stable condition in a marine burial environment, others deteriorate and their condition can rapidly worsen when removed from the sea...
