"The middle pack of Melville Bay, with a group of stranded bergs"
George P. Critcherson
American, 1823–1892
John L. Dunmore
American, 1833–1897
William Bradford
American, 1823–1892
1869
A small albumen silver print photograph that records a dramatic Arctic scene of stranded icebergs, made to document the landscape and the human presence confronting its immense scale.
What first strikes you is the towering, luminous mass of ice—its carved cliffs and subtle textures—against which two tiny, dark human figures stand like punctuation, emphasizing an almost overwhelming sense of scale and silence.
Made in 1869, this work belongs to 19th‑century expedition photography that fused scientific documentation with the Romantic sublime, helping shape public images of polar exploration and spreading visual knowledge of remote places.
Medium
Albumen silver print from a glass negative
Dimensions
2 7/8 × 4 3/16" (7.3 × 10.6 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Transferred from The Museum of Modern Art Library, New York
Accession
466.1981.86
Palette
Exhibitions
