Lieut. Irving, Franklin Expedition (?)

Category

Library Item

Item no

4095

Title

Lieut. Irving, Franklin expedition (?)

Description

A seated man is wearing an overcoat with lapels, a high collared shirt and necktie. He has sideburns.

Artist / maker

Unknown

Date

1848

Size

11.9 x 9.5 cm

Type

Salted paper print

Location

Edinburgh and Scottish Collection

The man is identified as resembling Lieutenant John Irving, a Royal Naval Officer who was born in Edinburgh in 1815 and died around 1848 along with all other personnel of HMS Terror during the 1845 Franklin Expedition to the Canadian Arctic.
There is a question mark over the identity of the man due to the fine quality and clarity of the print which indicates that it is probably dated later than 1843. Irving spent most of his adult life at sea, apart from four years when he was living in Australia. Letters he wrote show he was in Edinburgh during July and August of 1843.
It's possible that another photographer, such as Archibald Burns or Alexander Inglis, could have made a salt paper print from the calotype negative at a later date. Or the print could have been made from another type of negative, most likely a wet collodion known for its sharpness of detail. However this process was not introduced until 1851 and so, if this were the case, the man could not be Lieutenant John Irving.

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Related subjects

Clothing and dress > Accessories > Hairstyles

Clothing and dress > Accessories > Neckties

Clothing and dress > Garments > Coats

Clothing and dress > Garments > Shirts

People > Adults > Men

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