PHOTOGRAPHS
Dunmore, John L.; Critcherson, George
U.S. (active 1865 - 1875); U.S. (1823 - 1892)
1227. Arctic Greenland. Glacier, Ice Front Extending into Fiord
1869
Albumen print
7 1/4 x 9 in. (18.4 x 22.9 cm) image and sheet size; 14 x 17 in. (35.5 x 43.2 cm) mount board size
Joseph and Elaine Monsen Photography Collection
FA 2001.68

The Boston photographers Dunmore and Critcherson accompanied the marine painter William Bradford on an expedition to Arctic Greenland in 1869. Bradford, who made nine trips to Arctic regions, used photographs as sources for his popular paintings of icebergs, glaciers, ships, and frigid seascapes. Dunmore and Critcherson took nearly 200 photographs detailing the crew’s passage through the frozen seas, enduring the complications of unwieldy equipment, climatic conditions, and intense light reflections off snow and ice.

Like the landscapes of the post-Civil War geological-survey photographers, the Dunmore and Critcherson images are compelling in their description of human activity against the backdrop of an awesome and beautiful nature. The polar bear kill in Hunting by Steam would also have piqued the Victorian passion for adventure. In 1873 The Arctic Region, an album of 139 images, including both full-plate images and smaller illustrations, was published in London. -- Label copy for 150 Works of Art, October 1, 2005 to February 26, 2006.