Pair of epaulettes, part of the court dress worn by arctic explorer Sir John Franklin (1786–1847) as Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania). The epaulettes are of silver lace, edged with a twist of silver purl, alternately dull and bright. The crescent is of very rigid silver with silver wire edging, and, inside, a crown above a sword and baton both in silver and gold purl. Twenty-eight bright silver bullions are fixed over a rigid bonnet. The bonnet is edged in red velvet and lined in ruched red silk. The crescent underside is of padded red silk while the strap is of scarlet wool with the maker's label: ‘GILLOTTTAILOR/NAVAL UNIFORMS/36 Strand London’. The strap has four metal eyelets through which tying tapes passed to secure the epaulettes to the coat.

The epaulettes are kept in a lacquered metal case, which has a small till with a card from ‘Mrs Philipps (25 Ladbroke Grove, Notting Hill)’ and an inscription in ink on the back: ‘Blue with white edges/Hanover/Pale blue Radesuser of Greece.’ These notes refer to three rolls of grosgrain ribbon, one of which is blue with white edges while the other two are varying shades of pale blue.