Sir Richard Collinson
(1811-1883), Naval officer and explorerEarly Victorian Portraits Catalogue Entry
Sitter in 4 portraits
Entered the Navy in 1823 and in 1828 served in a surveying voyage around South America. During the First Opium War in 1842, he was employed as surveyor and pilot, after which he was promoted to commander and was tasked with surveying of the coast of China. In 1849 Collinson was appointed to command an expedition on the HMS Enterprise to search for the missing Arctic explorer Sir John Franklin, travelling via the Bering Strait. Of the many who had searched for Franklin, Collinson came closest to the place where the expedition had ended, and added to geographical knowledge of the Arctic as a result. He was awarded a gold medal by the Royal Geographical Society and was made an admiral in 1875.
replica by Stephen Pearce
oil on canvas, 1850-1886
NPG 914
by Stephen Pearce
oil on canvas, 1855
On display at The Great North Museum, Newcastle upon Tyne
NPG 1221
by Lock & Whitfield, published by Sampson Low, Marston, Searle and Rivington
woodburytype, published 1877
NPG Ax17523
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