Admiral Sir George Back was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer of the Canadian Arctic, naturalist and artist. He was born in Stockport.
Back in 1833
HMS Terror (right) anchored near an iceberg off Baffin Island, as painted by Back. Three walruses are at left.
Image: George Back 1863
The Coppermine expedition of 1819–1822 was a British overland undertaking to survey and chart the area from Hudson Bay to the north coast of Canada, eastwards from the mouth of the Coppermine River. The expedition was organised by the Royal Navy as part of its attempt to discover and map the Northwest Passage. It was the first of three Arctic expeditions to be led by John Franklin and also included George Back and John Richardson, both of whom would become notable Arctic explorers in their own right.
Sir John Barrow was the driving force for the Royal Navy's exploration of the Arctic in the early-19th century
Constructing a camp during the first winter of the expedition
Native chief Akaitcho with his son
Winter at Fort Enterprise