Imagining the Arctic: Visual Cultures of Heroism and Exploration

Throughout the nineteenth century the British public frequently ‘got lost’ in the Frozen North. Leading explorers were the celebrity figures of their day and they went to great lengths to convince their audiences of the merits of polar exploration, to persuade governments to finance ambitious proposals, and to bolster support for the Royal Navy. In theatres, in art, in verse and song, the achievements of explorers were promoted, celebrated and manipulated, whilst explorers themselves became the subject of huge attention. Whether an expedition was successful, or not, often depended as much upon what was imagined to have happened as to what actually occurred, far off beyond the edges of the map.

Drawing from his new book Imagining the Arctic, Huw Lewis-Jones explores the culture and politics of Arctic exploration and the making of its heroes. Taking fresh perspectives on key figures, including Admiral Lord Nelson, Sir John Ross, Commander John Cheyne and Sir John Franklin, and the century’s greatest polar show—the Royal Naval Exhibition of 1891—he considers how and why a cult of polar exploration was developed, and brings the story into the present day.