Since the development of photography in the

mid-nineteenth century, the camera has been used as

a tool of both discovery and preservation. Photographs

bring alive our image of the past and can open a

floodgate of memories and nostalgia or inspire curiosity

and a sense of history.

From its early history as a fishing village to its

official recognition as a town in July 1980, Oqunquit

has always been one of New England’s most dynamic

coastal communities When Charles Woodbury opened

opened an art school in 1889 among the fishhouses and

dories of Perkins Cove, he could scarcely have known

the effect it would have on the little village. Drawn

by the natural beauty of its rocky shore and rolling

sand dunes, hundreds of aspiring artists flooded the

Cove every summer, creating one of the most vivacious

creative communities in the Northeast. The people

of Ogunquit – the residents and tourists; artists and

fishermen – have each contributed to its rich cultural

heritage, making it one of the most unique resorts on

the Atlantic seaboard.