The Tides Institute’s Online Collections

This collection consists of a series of aerial photographs taken by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of this region in the mid-20th century likely in relation to continuing tidal power studies of the area. About half of the photographs were taken in 1957 and about half were taken in 1964. Photographs show Eastport, Lubec and Perry in Maine and Deer Island, Campobello and St. Andrews in New Brunswick. One straight down aerial view of the Eastport waterfront was taken in 1969.

This collection includes items relating to the American Civil War from this region including items (rifles, swords, uniforms and framed prints and photographs) that were once part of the I.C. Campbell Post No. 1, GAR Civil War Veterans Hall of Pembroke, Maine. The Tides Institute & Museum of Art owns the former Meade Post No. 40, GAR Civil War Veterans Hall in Eastport, Maine and is restoring the second floor former meeting hall with its Civil War murals into a Civil War Memorial exhibition and meeting room.

This collection consists of published architectural renderings of buildings and original architectural plans of buildings in this region. In addition, photographs of salvaged architectural elements in the collections from buildings in this region are also included. These range from doorways and surrounds to windows to wooden window arches used in construction. As well, the collection includes published books and guides to the architecture of this region as well as on historic restoration.

For much of the second half of the 19th century into the 20th century, Grand Manan island attracted well known artists from both United States and Canada including Alfred Bricher, Frederic Church, Winslow Homer, Jack Humphrey, Lucius O'Brien, Harrison Bird Brown, George Horne Russell, William Starkweather, George Daniell and many others. The TIdes Institute & Museum of Art is developing a collection of works reflective of this artistic legacy of Grand Manan. See Doreen Small's M.A. Thesis, Picturing Grand Manan: Nineteenth Century Painting and the Representation of Place (1998).

The ArtLink Poster Series is a set of 20 large scale posters of images of artwork in the collections of the Tides Institute & Museum of Art. The poster set was produced as part of the ArtLink initiative that distributed poster sets to schools throughout Washington County, Maine. A companion piece to the initiative was the production of a sets of visual learning alphabet cards also using images of artwork from the museum. These card sets were distributed to schools and early childhood center throughout Washington County.

Forty-two panorama photographs scanned from the original negatives taken by photographer, Charles E. Brown (1863-1945) of Eastport and Perry, Maine. Negatives were the gift of Margaret "Meg" McGarvey, grand-daughter of the photographer.

This collection consists of over 500 glass plate negatives owned by photographer, Charles E. Brown of Eastport and Perry, Maine. The vast majority of the photographs were taken by Charles Brown, but some of the earliest ones were likely taken by his predecessor and father-in-law, photographer Davis Loring, of Eastport, Maine. The images cover a wide range of the Passamaquoddy Bay region in Maine and New Brunswick as well as portraits of people include the Passamaquoddy. There are also a number of images of the Brown family and its later home in Perry, Maine. Gift of Margaret "Meg" McGarvey, granddaughter of the photographer, 2026.

An exhibition, "Charley Young: Salvaged Script," consisting of 11 works by Nova Scotia based artist, Charley Young, held at the Tides Institute & Museum of Art in 2022. The works using methods from both printmaking and sculpture were created using architectural salvage items from the region in the collection of the Museum. Frottage prints are paired with latex rubber impressions of a stair stringer, a keystone arch door frame, decorative fascia and metal grates found in a church.

2023 Exhibition, "Ckuwaponahkiyik Mecote yut kilun ntiyultipon | Wabanaki Presence." The exhibition includes historical and contemporary baskets, paintings, prints, drawings, photographs, books and implements. The exhibition is a work in progress and represents a snapshot in time in the 21 year effort by TIMA since its founding. Passamaquoddy cultural leaders, Donald Soctomah and Dwayne Tomah, provided invaluable help with this exhibition.

The Cottage Craft collection includes items related to the Cottage Craft initiative that began in 1911 in St. Andrews, Charlotte County, New Brunswick. Founded and led by Grace Helen Mowat, Cottage Craft focused on traditional rural crafts such as knitting, weaving, rug hooking and pottery to provide work and cash for financially strapped rural women of Charlotte County. The collection includes examples of crafts produced during this time along with related printed materials.

This album contains 100 pages of 19th century photographs by the photographer, Davis Loring (1819-1891), of Eastport, Maine. Many of the photographs are of Eastport, but others are of of the surrounding communities including Sipayik/Pleasant Point, Perry, Pembroke and Lubec in Maine and Campobello and Grand Manan islands as well as St. George in New Brunswick. Gift of Ken Schiano and Paula Beall, Eastport, Maine.

This album contains 100 pages of 19th century photographs by the photographer, Davis Loring (1819-1891), of Eastport, Maine. Many of the photographs are of Eastport, but others are of of the surrounding communities including Sipayik/Pleasant Point, Perry, Pembroke and Lubec in Maine and Campobello and Grand Manan islands as well as St. George in New Brunswick. The album was scanned when it was owned by John Gallagher of Campobello Island, New Brunswick. The album is now in the collections of the Campobello Museum, Welchpool, Campobello Island, New Brunswick.

This collection consists of examples of decorative arts of the region dating from the early 18th century to early 20th century. Ranging from furniture to ceramics, from clocks to light fixtures, from silver to glass to jewelry, most of the items had passed down through families and houses in the region before coming into the collections. They reflect the cultural legacy of the region. Many other items had left the area and were returned when they came into the collections.

This collection includes nine photographs of the Donworth House that is located at 21 Court Street in Machias, Maine. The photographs were taken by Country Homes Magazine of Baltimore, Maryland for the portfolio that dates to about 1925. Artist and writer, Grace Donworth (1857-1945), lived in the house (that she called “Elmstead") and painted scenes from the Machias River on the walls of one of the rooms of the house. Museum purchase.

The Drawings collection include a number of drawings dating from the mid-19th century to the present with a focus on this region as subject matter. Included in the collection are two mid-19th century drawings by Martin Johnson Heade and Anthony Flower, 20th century drawings by George Pearse Ennis, John Marin and Steven Trefonides and an early 21st century drawing by Susan Hartnett. Additional drawings include sketchbooks by artist Nellie Knopf and a summer visitor to Campobello Island, New Brunswick.

The Proposed Eastport Central Neighborhood Historic District is an initiative of the Tides Institute & Museum of Art working with the Maine Historic Preservation Commission. It is a work in progress focusing on the documentation of individual buildings and the district as a whole. Outreach about the district has included a public presentation, distribution of informational flyers and talks with individual property owners. It is expected to take an additional two years of work before a district nomination is made.

The Eastport Summer School of Art operated in Eastport, Maine and was based in New York City. Founded and led by artist, George Pearse Ennis, the school began with an initial trial run in 1922 and ran in earnest from 1927 to 1936. In its early years, the summer school was affiliated with the Grand Central School of Art in New York City. The collection includes works of art, program booklets, photographs, correspondence and a short written history of the school.

The Fowler House, Lubec collection consists largely of photographs taken in the early 21st century of the historic Jeremiah Fowler house located at 35 School Street in Lubec, Maine. The house was then owned by Lois Johnson whose husband's family had long owned and lived in the house. The house was built in 1840 or 1841 in the Greek Revival style and retained a great many original features added to and embellished by additions by both Lois Johnson and her husband, Ryerson Johnson.

The Tides Institute & Museum of Art has a growing collection of furniture reflecting the shifting styles of the region from the late 18th century to the early 20th century. The collection includes desks, chairs, sofas, sideboards, tables, pianos, mirrors, clocks and more.

This collection represents a series of black and white photographs that New York City based photographer, George Daniel (1911-2002), took of the herring fisheries of Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick in 1938. The work was published in several national magazines in the United States as well as Canada. They provide a remarkable record of the herring fisheries at this time. They are as riveting today as when they were taken. Museum purchase and partial gift from Aucocisco Galleries, Portland, Maine.

Collection of photographic images of Grand Manan Island in New Brunswick taken by a visitor from Massachusetts to the island in 1903 and again 10 years later in 1913. The images are from original glass plate and film negatives. Images range from the dramatic cliff formations along the back side of the island, herring fishermen and dulse harvesters at work, the visitor's family and friends to coastal village scenes.

The Hand Line Press Posters are a series of 24 place based, letterpress printed posters that were published between 2008 and 2018 by the Tides Institute & Museum of Art in association with printer and printmaker, David Wolfe, of Wolfe Editions of Portland, Maine. The posters highlight places, history and events related to Washington County, Maine. All of the posters feature original commissioned artwork by a several different artists.

The Hayden House, Eastport collection contains photographs, art, furnishings, clothing, other items including a child's full size outdoor playhouse related to the Hayden house located at 17 Boynton Street in Eastport, Maine. The house was originally built in the federal period style around 1805 and then greatly renovated inside and out in the victorian period style in 1882. Many of the furnishings and other items come from the Waide family who lived in the from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century.

As part of Maine’s Bicentennial in 2020, the Tides Institute & Museum of Art mounted an exhibition of works from its collections ranging in date from 1820 to the present. In addition, the Tides Institute plans to publish a book featuring 100 works from its collections and the stories behind the works and how they came into the Tides Institute’s collection. This selection of works representing highlights of the collections is part of this effort.

The Historic District collection is a work in progress and contains information about each National Register Historic District in Washington County, Maine and their individual buildings. Eight historic districts are contained in this collection. Information on individual buildings within each historic district can be found by clicking on web links found within each historic district listing.

Beginning in the 1930s, Pauline Winchester Inman spent over thirty summers in South Addison along the coast of Washington County, Maine where she gained inspiration for the majority of her artwork. This exhibition brings together a selection of Pauline’s Maine prints that illustrate three aspects of Washington County’s identity: Industry–difficult, unforgiving occupations connected to cultivating and harnessing natural resources; Community–simple pleasures of communing with loved ones; and Topography–natural and built environments that serve as the settings of our stories.

Seventeen illustrations that appear on an 1855 Map of Eastport, Maine in the collections of the Tides Institute & Museum of Art. Full title of the map is "Map of the Town of Eastport Washington Co. Maine, From Actual Survey by D.S. Osborn, Civil Engineer; Published by E.M. Woodford, N.E. Cor. 4th & Chestnut Streets, Philadelphia, 1855. Printed by Wagner & McGuigan."

This collection consists of 61 images scanned from original glass plate negatives. The photographs are the work of John Parris Sheahan (1842-1894), a medical doctor and dentist who practiced at Dennysville, Maine. He was a talented photographer as well. Almost all of the images are of Dennysville or nearby Edmunds and they date to about 1880-1890. Many show bucolic landscape scenes along the Dennys River as well as lumbering activities in the area. Gift of John "Terry" Holt of Grants Pass, Oregon and Eastport, Maine.

The Label Designs collections consists primarily of a large number of original early 20th century label designs created by the American Can Company for the sardine packing companies operating then in the region. These labels were acquired from Julian Barney Rier of Lubec, Maine and were part of his large sardine industry collection. Other labels represent other businesses of the region from chocolate to apple to blueberries to lobster to dairy and range in date from late 19th century to contemporary.

The Lubec Photographs collection contains 69 early 20th century glass plate negatives of Lubec, Maine as well as a couple of neighboring Campobello Island, New Brunswick and one of Whiting, Maine. The glass plate negatives were discovered while a couple was cleaning out a house in Lubec later in the 20th century. It is not known who the photographer of the negatives is. The images provide a glimpse into the social life, work and landscape of Lubec and surrounding area in the early 20th century. From the Estate of Sheila Fernald Malloch, 2022.

A collection of maps mostly related to the region, but also including other maps of interest.

This collection consists of 40 digital photographs taken by photographer, Frank Van Riper, in 1990—the last year the McCurdy herring smokehouse operated along the downtown waterfront of Lubec, Maine. The smokehouse was the last of its kind in the United States. Van Riper has been a long-time summer resident of Lubec, Maine and the photography columnist of the Washington Post. Many of the McCurdy smokehouse buildings still stand and the complex is now operated as a museum.

The Oral History collection consists of over 150 hours of mostly analog cassette tape recorded interviews conducted in the late 1970s and early 1980s with older residents of Eastport, Maine. There are a few recordings conducted later in the early 2000s. Many of these recordings focus on the early workings and life of the sardine industry of the late 19th, early 20th century when the industry was at its height. Other recordings focus on the early 20th century Eastport waterfront and daily life during this time. The entire collection is currently being digitized.

The Paintings collection includes oil and watercolor paintings with subject matter chiefly of this region. Included in the collection are works by Canadian artists Jack Humphrey, George Horne Russell and Charles Caleb Ward's paintings of Passamaquoddies and by American artists William Edward Norton, John Marin and local favorite Dougal Anderson. Other artists include Victor DeGrailley, Stephen Parrish, George Pearse Ennis, Nellie Knopf, Wallace Putnam, and Tim Gaydos.

Passamaquoddy Suite includes 31 prints that were produced in 2005 through a project involving the Maine College of Art (MECA), the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD) and the Tides Institute and Museum of Art. A hydrographic chart of the U.S./Canada Passamaquoddy Bay was divided into squares and these squares were then reinterpreted by senior printmaking students at both school along with their instructors, Alex Kahn of MECA and Mark Bovey of NSCAD.

This collection includes a range of materials related to Passamaquoddy Tidal Power Project of 1935-1936 such as books, reports, photographs, periodicals, architectural drawings, illustrations, maps and other materials.

The Pauline Inman (1904-1990) collection contains a large number of wood engraving prints by the artist along with an equally large number of original engraved wood blocks carved by the artist. In 1929, Inman and her husband began to summer in South Addison along the eastern Maine coast of Washington County and they continued to summer there for the next 30 to 40 years. The surrounding coast and communities provided rich subject matter for her engravings and prints.

The large Photographs collection includes a range of photographs and photographers. Most of the photographs relate to the region and include works by known photographers such as Paul Caponigro, George Daniell, William Lyman Underwood, Thaddeus Holownia and David Stess as well as early local photographers including Davis Loring, Charles E. Brown and Cecil Greenlaw. Extensive 19th and early 20th century photographs of the region include ambrotypes, daguerreotype, stereoviews and albumen prints.

The Postcards collections consists mostly of early 20th century postcards, primarily in color rendering, of the various towns of this region on both sides of the U.S/Canada border.

The Prints collection ranges from historical to contemporary. Historical print include scenes of cities, towns, landscapes and the fisheries of eastern Canada and New England and date as early as 1683. Earlier artists include Allain Mallet, J.F.W. DesBarres and John James Audubon. Late 19th century to contemporary artists include Winslow Homer, Prosper Senat, Stephen Parrish, Stow Wengenroth, Clare Leighton, Howard Cook, Mabel Dwight, Pauline Inman, Dan Steeves, David Umholtz as well as work by the Beehive Collective.

Publications, Books, Etc. consists of a research and reference collection of books and other printed and written items. Many of the books and other items relate to the region's life and history while others include broader geographical areas such as New England and the Maritime and Atlantic Provinces. A great many other books and items relate to the museum's areas of interest, particular art and art history, but also especially architecture, historic preservation, gardening, place and history.

An exhibition of works held in 2022 that highlighted the Tides Institute & Museum of Art's extensive cultural collections assembled over the Museum's first 20 years. Art making activities based on these works were held during the exhibition. Several of the works in the exhibition came into the Museum's collections during 2022 and had never been exhibited before. Other works in the exhibition had not been exhibited for many years.

The Sculpture collection is small, but growing. It includes a number of mid-20th century cast figure sculptures by Helena Simkhovitch (1903-1993) who summered in the region, wood carvings by Passamaquoddy artist, Rocky Keezer, and sculptural works by contemporary artists Richard Van Buren (epoxy), Bernard Langlais (wood), Anna Hepler (ceramic), Donald Sutherland (ceramic), Robert Stark (wood) and Tom Smith (ceramic).

A series of ship or boat models in the collections. The earliest date to the mid-19th century including an exquisite full rigged ship, the R.A. Pike, made in 1857 by local businessman, Alden Bradford, as a gift to his new bride. Other models in the collection include three working vessels of the region made by Craig Little of Calais, Maine and a large relief model of the racing yacht, Coronet, that was captained by Christopher Crosby of this region.

An exhibition held at the Tides Institute and Museum of Art in 2021 consisting of 20 lithographs of the region by printmaker and artist, Stow Wengenroth, plus additional works. An additional lithograph ha been added to the collections since 2021. The lithographs represent Wengenroth's earliest works and date to 1931-1933 when Wengenroth was associated with the Eastport Summer School of Art. All of the lithographs in the exhibition are from the collections of the Tides Institute and Museum of Art.

Fifty-nine tintype photograph portraits of residents and visitors of the region that were taken by photographers Karen Stentaford and Christie Lawrence of Sackville, New Brunswick over two days in 2014. During their stay, the photographers were based at the Tides Institute & Museum of Art's StudioWorks building in downtown Eastport and most of the photographs were taken at or near this location.

A collection of items relating to the initial development of tourism along the coast of eastern Maine and neighboring New Brunswick from about 1870 to 1940. Items range from summer hotels to summer cottages to land development projects.

A collection of colorful late 19th century and early 20th century trade cards featuring a wide range of design and illustrations. Almost all feature designs and illustrations that were available nationally with an added printed local company name, address and description of services. They are larger than today's business cards and were widely used as advertising by local businesses.

The Wabanki collection includes late 19th century to contemporary Passamaquoddy and Mi’Kmaq basketry, late 19th century to early 20th century Passamaquoddy basket molds, photographs, Passamaquoddy and Penobscot place name maps, a late 19th century temperance broadside in English and Passamaquoddy and books including the Indian Good Book and the Passamaquoddy-Maliseet Dictionary/Peskotomuhkati Wolastoqewi Latuwewakon.

The Buildings collection is very much a work in progress to provide online documentation on historic buildings throughout Washington County, Maine. Documentation includes references to the Sunrise County Architecture book as well a the National Register of Historic Places. The Tides Institute & Museum of Art is working with architectural historian and preservationist, Scott Hanson, to produce a new guide to Washington County architecture.

The Duck Lake Photographs are a series of photographs taken by Boston based photographer, William Lyman Underwood (1864-1929), in the late 19th century near and around Duck Lake in northern Washington County, Maine. Underwood was a member of the wealthy Underwood family and a very accomplished photographer as well as avid outdoorsman. His trips and hunting and fishing expeditions to Duck Lake relied on Passamaquoddy guides and many of his photographs include these guides.

A series of 11 wood engravings by American artist, Winslow Homer (1836-1910), that portray late 19th century scenes of everyday life in New England. The wood engravings were published in Harper's Weekly with most of the engravings dating to 1874 and the earliest to 1870. Scenes range from children at play on the shore and land to men at work to seafaring.