After Longfellow graduated from Bowdoin, he went to Europe to study modern languages so that he could take up a teaching position at his alma mater.
In 1829, at age 22, he became the first professor of modern languages and comparative literature at the school.
Thomas Badger (1792-1868) of Boston, who learned painting in part by copying works in the Bowdoin collection, rendered the new professor in his academic robes.
The image, like many others in this exhibit, was copied and turned into an engraving that could be reprinted many times.
