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.