The coast
Maine's coast is long and deeply indented, with hundreds of harbors and islands. Fishing villages, lobstermen, boatyards, wharves and sardine canneries appear on many cards. Eastport and Lubec were sardine-packing centers, and real photos of canneries and workers are collected. Shipyards in Bath and smaller towns built wooden schooners into the early twentieth century, and launching scenes are popular with maritime collectors.
Lighthouses
Maine has dozens of lighthouses, from Portland Head to West Quoddy Head, and they were photographed constantly. Printed lighthouse views are common, but early real photos with keepers, families or unusual angles are more interesting. Lighthouse collectors are a dedicated group.
Summer resorts
From the late 1800s, Maine's coast and lakes drew summer visitors. Bar Harbor on Mount Desert Island became a resort for the very wealthy, and Kennebunkport, Ogunquit, Old Orchard Beach, Boothbay Harbor and many others drew visitors of every class. Grand hotels, cottages, piers and steamers appear on cards. Old Orchard Beach's pier and amusement attractions were especially popular.
Lumber and river drives
The north woods supported a huge lumber industry. Lumber camps, crews, horses, log drives on the Penobscot, Kennebec and other rivers, and the river drivers who rode the logs were photographed. Real photos of camps and drives are among the most sought-after Maine cards.
Mill towns
Paper mills at Millinocket, Rumford, Madison and elsewhere, and textile and shoe mills at Lewiston, Biddeford, Saco and Auburn, shaped Maine's towns. Real photos of mills and workers, many of them French Canadian immigrants, are collected.
Sporting camps and lakes
Moosehead Lake, the Rangeley Lakes and other inland waters had sporting camps for fishing and hunting, served by lake steamers and railroads. Real photos of camps, guides, sportsmen and steamers are popular with sporting and Maine collectors.
Places and subjects to look for
- Down East: Eastport, Lubec, Machias and the sardine canneries.
- Mount Desert Island: Bar Harbor's hotels and estates.
- The midcoast: Camden, Rockland, Boothbay Harbor and island towns.
- Southern Maine: Portland, Old Orchard Beach, Kennebunkport and York.
- Mill towns: Lewiston, Biddeford, Rumford and Millinocket.
- The north woods: lumber camps, river drives and sporting camps.
- Aroostook County: potato farms and small towns.
Narrow-gauge railroads
Maine had several two-foot gauge railroads, such as the Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes, among the last of their kind in the country. Postcards of these tiny trains and their stations are popular with railroad collectors.
Potatoes and Aroostook
Aroostook County in the far north became a major potato-growing region, and real photos of potato harvests, storage houses and farm towns are distinctive Maine subjects.
Real photos versus printed views
Maine's coastal scenery and resorts were printed heavily. Real photos of fishing villages, lumber camps, mill towns and small inland towns were made in smaller numbers and carry most of the value in a Maine collection.
What is common
Printed coastal scenes, lighthouses, surf on rocks and later chrome lobster and harbor cards are plentiful.
Why Maine cards stay in demand
Maine has a large, devoted community of collectors and local historians, along with summer residents who collect cards of the towns and islands where their families have vacationed for generations. That steady interest means good real photos of small Maine places, islands and camps are well appreciated, even when they look plain.
Islands and ferries
Maine's inhabited islands, including Vinalhaven, North Haven, Islesboro, Peaks Island, Chebeague and Monhegan, had their own villages, quarries, fishing fleets and summer colonies, connected to the mainland by steamers and ferries. Granite quarrying on Vinalhaven and other islands supplied stone for buildings across the country, and real photos of quarries, island villages and steamer landings are popular with Maine collectors and island families alike.
Questions about Maine postcards
Are Maine lighthouse postcards valuable? Common printed views are modest; early real photos and unusual views are more collectible.
Are lumber camp postcards collectible? Yes, real photos of camps, crews and river drives are popular.
Are Bar Harbor postcards worth anything? Early views of hotels and estates are collected; later chromes are common.
Do you buy Maine collections? Yes, complete collections from anywhere in the state, by mail.