Explore a handpicked collection of polar bear art prints, all in the public domain. Download stunning, high-resolution images of Ursus maritimus for a dash of winter wildlife in your art projects or home interiors.
As I listened to a lively debate on the radio about zoos and their place in today’s world, I couldn’t stop thinking about polar bears. Poor Misha’s story, a polar bear who lived a hard life at Bristol Zoo, got to me. It made me want to celebrate these stunning creatures more happily.
So, I’ve assembled an excellent collection of vintage polar bear art prints. They’re all top-notch and free to grab! Whether you’re decking out your walls or appreciate an excellent Ursus maritimus sketch, you’re in for a treat.
Best of all, this vintage polar bear wall art is in the Public Domain, which means no copyright worries—download and print away! It’s perfect for adding a touch of arctic charm to your home decor or even serving as inspiration for artists seeking a muse in the wild beauty of Ursus maritimus. These high-quality images are not just a click away; they also bring a piece of nature’s artistry into the comfort of your space for everyone to admire.
I have never seen a polar bear in person, and I refuse to see them in zoos, as I think it is cruel to keep them there. I’ve also never visited anywhere where they live in the wild.
However, my husband is from Norway and often talks about making a trip to the north of Norway to see the Northern Lights, so that might be an opportunity to go polar bear spotting. Not too close, though!
Interesting Facts About Polar Bears
- The polar bear’s habitat is mainly within the Arctic circle.
- It is the largest carnivorous land mammal.
- Male polar bears can weigh as much as 700kg.
- Their scientific name is Ursus maritimus, which means maritime bear. Although polar bears are born on land, they spend most of their lives on Arctic Ocean sea ice, hence the name.
- Their favourite food is to hunt seals.
- Polar bears live for about 30 years.
- Even though both inhabit the frozen North, polar bears don’t hunt reindeer. Reindeer are too fast for polar bears to catch! (I have vintage reindeer drawings here)
The Vintage Polar Bear Art Prints
I hope you enjoy this collection of fabulous polar bear art prints. Click on the title of the image you want to download, and a higher-resolution copy will open in a new tab to print and save. I think they would look good printed on watercolour paper.
All the prints here are in the public domain, meaning you are free to use them commercially, not just for personal use.
Prints 1-15 Natural History Polar Bear Illustrations
1. White Polar Bear Standing on Ice Floe
This first white-fur polar bear is from the Welcome collection. The drawing is by Josiah Wood Whimper, a 19th-century British natural history illustrator.
The illustration has a lovely description of the life and habitat of polar bears at the bottom. I especially love the ending quote, which refers to the virtues of the female of the species.
“She would, it is said, rather die, than desert her helpless charge. What reproofs, or rather what lessons, do the ways of some animals convey to the unkind and thoughtless of our own race!”
2. Polar Bear Art Print with Seal
Another polar bear illustration from the Welcome Collection. A polar bear devours its prey, a seal, on an ice floe surrounded by the deep blue Sea while three arctic foxes watch eagerly from an adjacent ice floe.
An unusual polar bear pose, of a bear lying in wait at a seal breathing hole. This polar bear illustration is from the magazine “Animal Life and the World of Nature: a Magazine of Natural History throughout the World“, from about 1903.
This colourful polar bear art print again shows the animal with its favourite meal, a hunted seal. This picture is from the rather sexist 1903 book “Hunting and Trapping Stories: A Book for Boys“.
5. Polar bear by Thorolf Holmboe
This polar bear painting is by Norwegian artist Thorolf Holmboe and is from the Norwegian National Library.
6. Aggressive Polar Bear Art Print
An illustration of a pair of growling polar bears from the 1880 book “Johnson’s Household Book of Nature.”
7. 1866 – Polar Bear Art Print
This painting of a polar bear family on ice floes is from the French book “Le Monde de la Mer” (The World of the Sea) by Frédol, Alfred.
As the introduction mentions, polar bears are classified as marine mammals because they spend most of their time on ice floes in the Arctic Ocean.
A polar bear mother and her cub, 1792 and by the zoologist George Shaw.
9. 1916 Polar Bear with its Prey
This Hudson Bay polar bear illustration is from the 1916 published book “The Larger North American Mammals” by Fuertes, Louis Agassiz; Nelson, Edward William.
A print from the book “Histoire Naturelle des Mammifères” by Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, Etienne (1824). You’ll find illustrations from other bears from this book in the collection of woodland animal prints.
Print 11: Polar Bear by Christian Wilhelm Kehrer, 1820
A fine art oil canvas painting of the polar bear.
This image is from the collection at the Library of Congress.
Print 13: Rijksmuseum Polar Bear
An original lithograph from the collection at the Rijksmuseum.
Polar bear drawing from The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America, 1848 by John James Audubon.
Polar bear cubs with their feeding mother from Brehm’s Life of Animals (1895).
Polar Bears In Ads and Posters
16. German Arctic Expedition Poster
I know little about this polar bear art except that it is a 1913 poster for the “Deutsche Arktische Expedition.” Hans Lindenstaedt was the graphic designer.
1929 Chocolate advert with a polar bear.
Polar bear cover of Life Magazine 1923.
Panorama Nova Zembla was painted by Louis Apol. Amsterdam Plantation. Painted by Bernard Willem Wierink.
Print 20: Polar Bear Shepherdess
Painting by Polish artist Zofia Plewińska-Smidowiczowa 1918.
Other Related Print Collections
Polar bears, along with many other popular mammals, are featured on the beautiful Larousse vintage animal posters collection. This vintage geography poster of Yaggy also features a wonderful scene of polar bears and Eskimos.
You’ll find some brown and black bears in this collection of vintage woodland animal prints.
You should check out some of the other fabulous free vintage zoological illustrations and artwork on Pictureboxblue including other popular zoo animals such as tiger and giraffe drawings.
- Royalty-Free Animal Prints
- Vintage Bat Drawings
- Vintage Rabbit and Easter Bunny Pictures
- Collection of Toucan Paintings
- Vintage frog illustrations and drawings
- Natural History Posters of Adolphe Millot
Cecilia
Wednesday 16th of October 2019
Such a great collection and I enjoyed reading about the polar bears. Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm!
claire
Wednesday 16th of October 2019
Thank you 😊