Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr.

Libby Bischof

Susan Danly

Maine has always played a rich and varied role in the art of photography. For hundreds of years, photographers, like other artists, have made their way to Maine to capture the natural beauty and human culture of the state. So, too, have many photographers come from Maine, and many contributions by Mainers have been made to the medium. Maine in Photography is the first comprehensive overview of the history of photography in the state. Providing basic knowledge of the most important people and institutions to have promoted photography, this volume also studies the ways in which photography has informed the understanding of the social and cultural history of Maine. Beginning with the earliest daguerreotype portraits of the 1840s, this history traces the growth of the medium emphasizing key contributions, such as the Stanley brothers invention of the dry plate process through to the present. Key topics addressed throughout the book include the importance of photography in documenting labor and economic life, the close relationship between photography and the growth of tourism, and the role of Maine photographers in advancing the medium as a fine art form. Published in conjunction with the Maine Photo Project, this is a unique and timely addition to the body of work on the importance of Maine to American art."

A History, 1840-2015

Maine in Photographs

Lydia B. Vandenbergh

Annually, Mount Desert Island attracts over three million visitors to Acadia National Park, where lofty mountains, balsam-scented forests, and Maine's granite-lined coast enchant all. Almost bisecting the island is Somes Sound, a Norwegian-style fiord with three villages, Somesville, Southwest Harbor, and Northeast Harbor, nestled around its shores. In the 1850s, about two thousand residents made this pristine area their home, living off the sea and land with few visitors. By World War I, Mount Desert Island had become a destination for summer tourists. Mount Desert Island, with more than two hundred photographs selected from eleven collections, illustrates the transition of Somesville, Southwest Harbor, and Northeast Harbor as they evolved from isolated fishing and shipbuilding hamlets to meccas for Victorian summer visitors, a Who's Who of academia and theology. These images, some of them dating back to the Civil War era, bring to life the people, places, and events that form the history of these communities. From dignitary visits, such as that of the Archbishop of Canterbury, to carefree buckboard rides, Mount Desert Island demonstrates the broad range of rustic experiences and the complex lives of islanders as they forged their living in a changing economy. Both new and old visitors will recognize many of the images, though some will surprise all as they show places that no longer exist. Annually, Mount Desert Island attracts over three million visitors to Acadia National Park, where lofty mountains, balsam-scented forests, and Maine's granite-lined coast enchant all. Almost bisecting the island is Somes Sound, a Norwegian-style fiord with three villages, Somesville, Southwest Harbor, and Northeast Harbor, nestled around its shores. In the 1850s, about two thousand residents made this pristine area their home, living off the sea and land with few visitors. By World War I, Mount Desert Island had become a destination for summer tourists. Mount Desert Island, with more than two hundred photographs selected from eleven collections, illustrates the transition of Somesville, Southwest Harbor, and Northeast Harbor as they evolved from isolated fishing and shipbuilding hamlets to meccas for Victorian summer visitors, a Who's Who of academia and theology. These images, some of them dating back to the Civil War era, bring to life the people, places, and events that form the history of these communities. From dignitary visits, such as that of the Archbishop of Canterbury, to carefree buckboard rides, Mount Desert Island demonstrates the broad range of rustic experiences and the complex lives of islanders as they forged their living in a changing economy. Both new and old visitors will recognize many of the images, though some will surprise all as they show places that no longer exist.

Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr.

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