William Bradford (painter)

He was one of the first American painters to portray the frozen regions of the north: for example, his contemporary Frederic Edwin Church had painted The Icebergs in 1861; Albert Bierstadt was also active in the same period.

[4] With funds provided by LeGrand Lockwood, Bradford traveled to Greenland in 1869, his farthest northern excursion, reaching eventually as far as 75° north latitude aboard the steamship Panther, accompanied by photographers John L. Dunmore and George Critcherson.

[5] Upon his return, Bradford spent two years in London, where he published an account of his trips to the north, entitled The Arctic regions, illustrated with photographs taken on an art expedition to Greenland; with descriptive narrative by the artist.

[8] He was associated with the Hudson River School, not an institution but rather an informal group of like-minded painters.

He compositionally balanced many of his paintings by creating a counter-subject and by placing darker colors around the edges, framing and counteracting the center's better-lit subject.