Lady Franklin's Revenge

Lady Jane Franklin is right up there with Freya Stark and Isabella Bird when it comes to fearless lady travelers - except Stark and Bird were barely born before Franklin started her travels. She truly was a pioneer in female expeditions. Although Nancy Pearl doesn't include Franklin in her chapter on the subject in Book Lust, Franklin was the first to venture to far off places such as Russia, Africa and the wilds of Australia at a time when Victorian women were expected to stay at home, be dutiful wives and raise docile families. Jane Griffin was different. From a very young age she couldn't be bothered with such domestic pursuits. She wanted an education, an adventure, and to be an outspoken voice. Even after marrying John Franklin and show more becoming an instant mother to his four year old daughter, Jane Franklin felt no parental responsibility and continued to travel on her "own" (servants and escorts ignored). It was only after her husband, now Sir John Franklin, disappeared in the Arctic that Lady Franklin realized another obsession besides travel - to bring her husband home. She spared no expense and pulled out all the stops to convince high-powered officials that her husband's expedition was worth searching for. At a time when America and Great Britain were not on the best of terms, Lady Franklin worked deals with both countries to send rescue expeditions into unknown waters. She worked tirelessly to keep the missing ships in the minds of everyone. show less