Dr John Rae, Orcadian, explorer, collector and ethnographer, began his Arctic explorations in the 1840s and was instrumental in uncovering the first clues as to the fate of the Franklin expedition, which went missing in 1847. He travelled over 13,000 miles of the Canadian Arctic, adopting the survival techniques of the Indians and Inuit. He undertook surveys and studies, and collected zoological, botanical and ethnographic material. Unusually for the time, he recognized and learned from the skills and understanding of peoples he encountered, which made him a controversial figure in Victorian eyes.