The collection consists of articles catalogued in addition to books and pictures which includes correspondence: 4 holographs from John Hepburn, 1819-1822; the last letter written by Sir John Franklin, 1845, 2 autographs to Captain Iden Huggins, 1850; notes on 3 medals, notes relating to the Beef Relic of the Franklin Expedition.

Also contained is a series of catalogues and particulars of portraits and engravings in the collection. These include a catalogue of engravings known to exist of Franklin; lists and details relevant to Portraits and Statues of Sir John Franklin; lists and details of known portraits of Sir John Richardson.

There are also provided correspondence with the Hudson's Bay Company; correspondence with Sir Sydney Parry; correspondence with the Royal Geographical Society and several other lists and papers.

There is a complete bibliography of the material and works collected by John Richardson Reynolds for his proposed work on the History of Arctic Expeditions (17 volumes, see REY/4/1-17).

Administrative / biographical background
John Richardson Reynolds was the great-nephew of Sir John Franklin. Both brothers John Richardson Reynolds and Willingham Franklin Reynolds died in 1934, in July and March respectively. John Richardson Reynolds lived at 52, St. John's Park, Blackheath, S.E.3. He joined the Society for Nautical Research in 1932 and visited the Royal Naval Museum to work in 1933. John Richardson Reynolds was a C.I.E and V.D. He was a manager of Bombay Port Trust Railway, second son of Charles Henry and Beatrice Anna Reynolds, of Thetford, Norfolk. The connection to John Franklin is that their father Charles Henry Reynolds married Beatrice Anna Richardson. Her father was Sir John Richardson who married Mary Booth. Her father was John Booth who married Hannah Franklin. Hannah Franklin was the daughter of Willingham Franklin who was also Sir John Franklin's father. Therefore the Reynolds connection to Sir John Franklin was by descent on the female family line. http://genealogy.antipole.co.uk/database_public/wc02/wc02_497.html. Before John Richardson Reynolds died he expressed a wish that his library, papers and prints of Polar Exploration and relics should be offered to the Royal Naval Museum. However, the collection was bequeathed to the NMM in 1934.