Frederic Edwin Church's Aurora Borealis Reinterpreted Through 19th-Century Pigment Trade and Arctic Representation

Frederic Edwin Church's 1865 oil painting Aurora Borealis challenges traditional Arctic depictions with its vibrant colors and central black semi-circle. The work is analyzed in relation to 19th-century pigment trade, slavery routes, and urban modernity. Emerging lens technologies like photography and astronomy, along with later cinema and satellite imagery, connect the circumpolar north to global networks. This revisionist perspective highlights Church's contributions to Arctic representation, especially relevant in an era of climate change and melting ice. The article was published on June 5, 2017, by Noelle Belanger and Anna Westerstahl Stenport. Content is available through MIT Press on a subscription-only basis.