Bradford was born in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, where in 1854 he opened a studio catering to local mariners and merchants. In 1861 he sailed to Labrador, Greenland, and his nascent interest in the Arctic developed quickly into an all-consuming passion. All told, he made seven voyages to the region during the 1860s. From this point, he dedicated all of his energies to painting dramatic Arctic images such as Caught in the Ice (1882).