Details
SIR JOHN FRANKLIN (1786-1847)
H.M.S.Resolute. - a 'play-bill' on silk for the 'Royal Arctic Casino', 1850. 385 x 209mm., Mr Punch, M.C. The first Grand Bal. Masque! Will be held on Thursday the 5th December 1850; Whan all the Fashion of the Country are expected. A Brilliant Band will attend. Refreshments most Recherche. No admittance unless Masqued; or in Costume The M.C. holds himself responsible for all Young Ladies during the Ball only: their safe return by moonlight he leaves to the sagacity of dear Mammmas. Doors open at 6.P.M. Close at 10. J.L, Printer, Resolute. (very light stain to lower margin).
A VERY RARE EPHEMERAL ITEM, PRINTED IN THE ARTIC. The Resolute under the command of Captain Horatio Austin and the Assistance under the command of Erasmus Ommanney were despatched to search for Franklin in February 1850. 'On 2 Aug. 1850 Ommanney discovered the first traces of the fate of Sir John Franklin; these on investigation proved that his ships had wintered at Beechey Island' (DNB). During the arctic winter, boredom was one of the great enemies on board the two ships: the Royal Arctic Casino on board the Resolute and the Royal Arctic Theatre on the Assistance both put on entertainments to keep up morale, using a small steam-press to produce annoucements of forthcoming events. Most of these play-bills were printed on paper, but the present work is technically a much more competent piece of work in that it was printed on silk (a very demanding medium). Such ephemeral items should perhaps be seen as the "incunabula" of polar printing, which reached its zenith with Shackleton's Aurora Australis almost 60 years later.
H.M.S.Resolute. - a 'play-bill' on silk for the 'Royal Arctic Casino', 1850. 385 x 209mm., Mr Punch, M.C. The first Grand Bal. Masque! Will be held on Thursday the 5th December 1850; Whan all the Fashion of the Country are expected. A Brilliant Band will attend. Refreshments most Recherche. No admittance unless Masqued; or in Costume The M.C. holds himself responsible for all Young Ladies during the Ball only: their safe return by moonlight he leaves to the sagacity of dear Mammmas. Doors open at 6.P.M. Close at 10. J.L, Printer, Resolute. (very light stain to lower margin).
A VERY RARE EPHEMERAL ITEM, PRINTED IN THE ARTIC. The Resolute under the command of Captain Horatio Austin and the Assistance under the command of Erasmus Ommanney were despatched to search for Franklin in February 1850. 'On 2 Aug. 1850 Ommanney discovered the first traces of the fate of Sir John Franklin; these on investigation proved that his ships had wintered at Beechey Island' (DNB). During the arctic winter, boredom was one of the great enemies on board the two ships: the Royal Arctic Casino on board the Resolute and the Royal Arctic Theatre on the Assistance both put on entertainments to keep up morale, using a small steam-press to produce annoucements of forthcoming events. Most of these play-bills were printed on paper, but the present work is technically a much more competent piece of work in that it was printed on silk (a very demanding medium). Such ephemeral items should perhaps be seen as the "incunabula" of polar printing, which reached its zenith with Shackleton's Aurora Australis almost 60 years later.