[David Roberts] Roberts' moving DIORAMA of the Polar Expedition: being a series of views representing the progress of His Majesty’s Ships the Hecla and Fury, in their endeavours to discover A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE from the Atlantic to Pacific Ocean [New Bazaar, Oxford Street, London] W. Reynolds, 9 Denmark court, Strand circa 1830

Single sheet, letterpress.

Confusingly this is a play bill for a series of scenes based on the William Parry 1824-25 expedition, inspired by the departure of John Ross on his second expedition to find the North-West Passage in May 1829. Covering the voyage up to the loss of the Fury, the action then transferred to the Hecla and its imagined voyage to Jeddo [Edo, Japan]. The play’s action apparently took the audience to the New Bazaar in Oxford Street where a signpost encouraged the audience to visit the real Diorama’s being shown by Roberts.

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