Authors (left to right) Kevin Johnson, Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr., and Bill Bunting

Fascinating historic photographs taken from 1909 to 1950 of a Maine which has almost completely disappeared are the subject of the new book Maine on Glass: The Early Twentieth Century in Glass Plate Photography by Maine State Historian Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr., Penobscot Marine Museum Photo Archivist Kevin Johnson, and historian Bill Bunting. The photographs were originally taken to be made into postcards during the postcard craze of the early 1900s when billions of postcards were mailed world-wide. The photographs show Mainers at work and at play everywhere from lobster shacks and wilderness hunting camps, to steam and sailing ships and grand hotels. On Sunday, January 29th at 2:00 pm, Boothbay Railway Village presents an illustrated talk about Maine on Glass: The Early Twentieth Century in Glass Plate Photography with authors Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr., Kevin Johnson, and Bill Bunting. The talk will take place inside the Museum’s 1847 Boothbay Town Hall. Admission is free, suggested donation of $5 appreciated.

The photographs in Maine on Glass: The Early Twentieth Century in Glass Plate Photography were taken by the Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Company, a Belfast, Maine company operated by R. Herman Cassens from 1909 to 1947. The company produced real-photo postcards, so-called because the cards were printed in darkrooms rather than on litho presses. Cassens wanted to photograph rural towns and villages from Maine to California. He did not achieve this dream but his company did produce more than 40,000 glass plate negatives. The Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Company collection is now housed at Penobscot Marine Museum.