The Queen of the Arctic: Louise Arner Boyd

• Published in: Polar Research
• Main Authors: Isaksson, Elisabeth, Ryall, Anka
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Norwegian Polar Institute 2023
• Subjects: Polar exploration; gender; glaciology; photography; Greenland; Norwegian polar history; Arctic; East Greenland; Polar Research
• Online Access: https://polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/9075; https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v42.9075

Louise Boyd (1887–1972) was a female pioneer in Arctic research whose legacy includes the exploration of north-east Greenland. In this Perspective piece, we use a broad interdisciplinary approach to investigate her career as a photographer and expedition leader. When documenting glacial retreat during the 1930s, she was at the forefront of the development of glaciology as a research discipline. Without family obligations and with seemingly inexhaustible financial resources, she used Arctic exploration to create an independent and self-defined life for herself.