Photographer William H. Pierce captured the sheer size of the Atlantic's mighty icebergs in some of the earliest photographs of the phenomenon taken in 1864.

The images were obtained during a voyage with American painter William Bradford, who peaked the public's curiosity after painting stunning portraits of the mysterious giants, floating silently in the Arctic's frozen waters.

Pierce accompanied Bradford on a voyage off the Coast of Labrador, Canada, to an area known as "Iceberg Alley". The region is considered dangerous, as it experiences massive icebergs, .

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When Sir John Franklin of England's voyage to the Arctic disappeared in 1845, Bradford was overtaken by a to the frozen lands of the North, according to the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

Bradford reveled in the tales told by those who made failed rescue attempts, saying, "They made so powerful an impression on me thatI was seized with a desire, which became uncontrollable, to visit the scenes they described and study nature under the terrible aspects of the Frozen Zone.”

Pierce’s are displayed in the Library of Congress, and Bradford’s paintings can be found around the world in various museums.

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