"Critical Position of H.M.S. Investigator on the North Coast of Baring Island", drawn by Lieut. S.G. Cresswell, 1867. Lithographed by W. Simpson.
This somewhat stylized depiction of the "horrors" of the North conveyed to 19th century readers the dangers one could expect in the Arctic. The Investigator, under the command of Robert McClure, was in search of the lost Franklin expedition of 1845, one in a long series of attempts to find the fabled Northwest Passage. Sir John Franklin's expedition had been ill-equipped for the task. His ships were outfitted for gentlemen: hot water heating in the cabins, cut glass, expensive china and silver, a 1,200 volume library - but not a single sledge, tent, or pair of snowshoes! The Investigator for its part was ice-bound for three years and finally abandoned. After much privation, its crew was carried back to England on another ship.
