The loss of the Arctic expedition led by Sir John Franklin was as much a series of cultural events as it a was naval and geopolitical disaster. Although Franklin is still a major topic in Arctic studies, historical research has moved on significantly in the past three decades, away from heroic and male-centric accounts of struggling through the ice, and towards histories that are sensitive to the role, the Arctic played in people’s lives, imaginations, and creations. This means we can and should now widen our documentary scope beyond men on ships and towards writers, commentators, artists, clairvoyants, and so on.