Born in Scotland, William Penny (1809-92) was just 12 when he made his first whaling voyage on his father’s ship Alert. He became increasingly interested in exploration though found it dificult to secure funding to mount his, own expeditions. In 1840 he charted Cumberland Sound (which he inadvertently believed to have discovered himself) and in 1847 and 1849 tried to sail through and make contact with Franklin’s missing ships.
With the support of Lady Franklin, In 1850-1, Penny led one of many expeditions in the search for John Franklin. Equipped with two ships, the Lady Franklin and Sophia, his search was simultaneous with that of John Ross and Capt Horatio Austin. The three parties agreed to search different areas, Penny heading to Wellington Channel. In August, Penny reported to Austin his opinion that Franklin had sailed through the channel and a terrible quarrel broke out between the two men. Incredibly, this led to both parties abandoning their search and returning to the UK. An inquiry followed, and although Penny was broadly uncensored, his reputation never properly recovered and this was his final part in the search for Franklin.
Pearce was friends with Colonel John Barrow, who commissioned him to paint a portrait of “The Arctic Council discussing a plan of search for Sir John Franklin,” which he completed in 1851. In addition to this, he painted portraits of Robert McClure, George Nares, Leopold McClintock and William Penny in full Arctic gear.
