Photo: Solely for the purposes of art

This albumen print photograph from 1869 shows the steamer Panther as it fires up during an expedition of the eastern Arctic. The American landscape painter Bradford hired the ship, its crew and the photographers John L. Dunmore and George P. Critcherson for an expedition he later described as having been “made solely for the purposes of art.” An exhibit by the same name, which showcases images from the trip, is underway at the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum at Bowdoin College in Maine until June 3. (PHOTO COURTESY BOWDOIN COLLEGE)