So, for my first (ever) tumblr post, let’s talk about the Franklin Expedition gloves.
DESCRIPTION: Two weathered and discoloured gloves, both made for the left hand. Made of knitted cotton. Both have a small heart sewn into the palm in roughly the same spot. They were found “left out to dry” on Beechey Island and found in 1850.
And that’s pretty much all we know. It’s impossible to say who made them and why, and a lot of theorising about the gloves is just that - theorising.
The story behind them, at least in my mind, is that they came from a place of love (which is a little heartbreaking when you remember what comes next). They could have belonged to Peglar and Bridgens, or maybe another pair that we know nothing about. Either way, it is such a beautifully subtle way of keeping someone you love close to you.
The fact that they were left out ‘to dry’ points to the fact that someone was going to return for them but didn’t have the chance. Or, the relationship soured and the gloves were abandoned.
There hasn’t been much discussion of the gloves, probably because they were never on display and Victorian society couldn’t handle cute little heart gloves. Because of that, sources are pretty much limited to the National Maritime Museum’s object listing.