Headshot of an unknown Inuit man. Taken by Donald MacMillan on the Crocker Land expedition, 1913 - 1917.
Polar bear stands on ice near Etah. Taken by MacMillan on the Crocker Land Expedition, 1913- 1917.
Happy 138th birthday to Bowdoin grad, Arctic explorer, Maine celebrity, and Museum namesake Donald MacMillan! This is a photo from Mac’s high school commencement when he was 19 - he went to high school in Freeport, Maine, and then went on to graduate from Bowdoin in 1898.
Check out Mac’s bio on our official website and his huge tag on this Tumblr to learn more about this exceptional man.
-M
Camera equipment sits in the snow near Bird Cliff, on the north side of Parker Snow Bay in Greenland.
Taken by Donald MacMillan on the Crocker Land expedition, 1913-1917.
This photo, called “Sipsoo holding two young hare,” was taken by MacMillan on the Crocker Land Expedition from 1913 - 1917.
Did you know the black tips of an Arctic hare’s ears help keep the ears warm?
I love this vintage photo of Donald MacMillan, our Museum’s namesake. He was a Bowdoin 1898 grad, and had this picture taken of him (center) and two anonymous friends in 1897. Those sweaters are fantastic!
-M
From Robert Peary’s North Pole diary, 104 years ago today in Greenland as he voyaged towards the Pole:
Wind this morning early from the south increasing in force. Set lug sail breakfast time + carried it till after supper. Wind at noon very fresh + considerable sea. Foggy. Passed the outer island (is 73° N. lat. at 2 p.m.)
Nearing the Duck Islands. The wind subsided entirely, clouds + fog moved slowly away to the eastward + at 11.-p.m. we passed the Duck Islands, + entered Melville Bay in glorious yellow sunlight lighting numbers of bergs.
A little later the first midnight sun.
(This slide is called “Low Midnight Sun.” Hand-colored glass lantern slide; original image taken by Donald MacMillan on the 1908-1909 North Pole expedition.)
All of Bowdoin’s campus has been gearing up for the Museum of Art’s new William Wegman show to open today. “Hello, Nature” features over 100 Wegman pieces, inspired by or created here in Maine…and those famous Weimaraners are sure to make an appearance!
I love Wegman and am so excited to see his show over at the Museum of Art, so I decided to put up this Wegman-esque shot of a husky puppy today, taken by MacMillan in Greenland around 1923. Not a Weimaraner per se…but he sure is cute.
I always feel so disjointed on Monday mornings. This crazy-looking walrus probably agrees with me.
(Glass lantern slide from the 1908-1909 North Pole expedition, taken by Donald MacMillan.)
Wow - today we hit 2,000 followers!! A big thank-you to everyone who follows, likes, reblogs, and keeps this little project going. I love to think that such a wide audience is seeing all the cool stuff I love in this museum - so thanks!
As a token of my appreciation and some Friday afternoon cuteness, here’s a puppy poking its head out of a porthole. (Taken by MacMillan in the late 1920s.)
