Jane, Lady Franklin
(1792-1875), Traveller and second wife of Sir John FranklinEarly Victorian Portraits Catalogue Entry
Sitter in 1 portrait
Married to Sir John Franklin, explorer. They went to Tasmania where he was appointed Governor in 1837. She also visited Australia and New Zealand and was the first woman to climb Mount Washington. In 1845 Sir John set off on his voyage to find the North West Passage, while Jane travelled to the West Indies and America. She was joined by her husband's niece, Sophy Cracroft. When he failed to reappear in 1850 his wife paid for a search for them, but by 1859 it was clear that he had perished. She travelled to America twice again and to Japan via Hawaii. The joint monument in Westminster Abbey records she 'after sending many in search of him, herself departed to find him in the realms of light'.
by Amélie Romilly
chalk, 1816
NPG 904
Tell us more back to top
Can you tell us more about this person? Spotted an error, information that is missing (a sitter’s life dates, occupation or family relationships, or a date of portrait for example) or do you know anything that we don't know? If you have information to share please complete the form below.
If you require information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service. You can buy a print of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at £6 for unframed prints, £25 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, please use our Rights and Images service.
Please note that we cannot provide valuations.
We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.