Presentation Snuff Box

Artist Nathaniel Mills (Birmingham, England, 1746 - 1843)

AssociatedAssociated with Captain William Penny (Aberdeen, Scotland, 1809 - 1892)

Date1850 - 1851

Object NameSnuff Box

Mediumsilver and gilt

ClassificationsApplied Art

DimensionsOverall: Length: 8.5 cm, Height: 1.9 cm, Width: 6 cm

AcquisitionPurchased in 1983.

LocationOn Display - Aberdeen Maritime Museum

Object numberABDAG001330

Keywords

About MeWilliam Penny was born in Peterhead, but later lived in Aberdeen. In 1850 he was asked to lead an expedition to try and discover what had happened to John Franklin and the 129 crew aboard HMS Erebus and HMS Terror who had sailed in 1845 to try and find a route through the North West Passage.
Penny was an experienced Arctic whaling captain and was instrumental in setting up the Aberdeen Arctic Company in a bid to prevent encroachment of US mariners on Canadian territory.
Penny set sail with two vessels newly built in Aberdeen, the Lady Franklin and the Sophia. as part of a joint expedition with the Royal Navy in 1851 which discovered three graves on Beechey Island proving Franklin had got that far.
This snuff box, made in Birmingham, was presented by the crew of the Lady Franklin to Penny to acknowledge his skill in directing the expedition and safely getting them back home.