Charles J Lundgren (1911 – 1988)

Charles J Lundgren (New York, Connecticut, 1911 – 1988)

“Bowdoin- Donald Macmillan” Oil on masonite painting. Signed lower right.

Between 1921 and 1954, the schooner Bowdoin made 26 voyages to the Arctic Circle. The first of these voyages began in July 1921 with Donald Macmillan at the helm. The Bowdoin was a research center, and the Carnegie Institution had sponsored her trip to Baffin Island. The objective was to study magnetism and atmospheric electricity. The ship and her crew of seven wintered over near Baffin Island where they were frozen in for 274 days. Throughout the 1920s, the Bowdoin sailed as a research vessel on behalf of the Carnegie Institution, the National Geographic Society, and the U.S. Navy. The Bowdoin’s 1930 trip to Iceland was her first voyage carrying inexperienced students. Macmillan found this to be a reliable way to finance his trips north. From 1934 onward, paying students always accompanied him. There was still scientific work being done but it was no longer of as much significance as it once had been. For the students who sailed with Macmillan, the experience was momentous. These young men often said that between the physical challenges they faced and the personal character example of their captain, their future lives were shaped by the summers they spent aboard the Bowdoin. World War II brought changes to the schooner Bowdoin, as she entered service and almost lost her life. Macmillan bought back his schooner after the War and rebuilt her. Upon his retirement, Macmillan sold the Bowdoin to the Mystic Seaport Museum in 1959.

Overall Size: 26 x 23.75 in.