Ida Crie

Ida E. Shepherd seems to have come into the world with a native curiosity which shaped the course of her life. She was born to Flora and William Shepherd in Rockland on June 21^st, 1856. After completing high school, she taught at the Oak Grove School in Rockland for nearly 2 years. Shortly thereafter, she met and eventually married Rufus Anson Crie (for whose old Maine family Criehaven Island, a remote fishing outpost in Penobscot Bay, was named).

R. Anson’s financial circumstances, coupled with his devotion to his wife, afforded Ida a wide range of opportunity. In addition to her fascination with photography, she belonged to various literary and social clubs. The Cries travelled fairly often—Ida attended three World’s Fairs; visited cousins in Missouri, and stayed a year with her family in Interlachen, Florida. She carried her camera everywhere, on these far-flung trips to other states, and when she ventured out in her carriage alone seeking fresh vistas.

She photographed prolifically. She had a strong sense of geometry, and a flair for the sweet and the uncanny. From her photographs alone, it’s evident that she was engaged with her world, wherever she happened to be. She actively supported charities. She was a dedicated grandmother. When she died in 1916 at the age of 60, she was sorely missed—it is still known in her family today that her husband never quite recovered from her loss.