Engraving of Lady Jane Franklin, nee Griffin, the wife of the English explorer, Sir John Franklin. Lady Jane travelled extensively with Sir John through Syria, Turkey, Egypt and Tasmania, but did not join him on his 1845 expedition to the Northwest Passage. When that expedition vanished into the Arctic wastes, Lady Jane sponsored a series of search expeditions to find her husband. She was later awarded the Royal Geographical Society's Founder's Medal for her contribution to the exploration of the Canadian Arctic.