Schooner and Children at Stonington (c. 1940)
George French (1882-1970) was the recipient of numerous American and foreign awards for his distinguished photography. His work was selected by such firms as American Bell Telephone Company for use in posters, and for many years his photographs were familiar to Americans, as they were reproduced on calendars, postcards and various forms of commercial advertising.
A native of Kezar Falls, French worked his way through Parsonsfield Seminary, Bridgton Academy and Bates College, where he was an outstanding athlete.
From 1936 to 1955 he was the official photographer for the Maine Development Commission the State agency then responsible for promoting Maine’s economic and recreational potential. The photographs produced by French for the Development Commission were transferred to the Maine State Archives, where they are accessible for viewing and for copying at a nominal fee.
Round Top Dairy Farm, Damariscotta (c.1940)
Of his own work, French said:
“I hope to leave a sort of monument to represent a life devoted to picturing the beautiful side of the great out-of-doors, as well as preserving in pictures the dignity and charm of everyday folks and their ways of life.”
Several of his images appear throughout the Encyclopedia. Search on “George French” (with quotation marks) for those images.
Additional resources
Maine State Archives. George French Collection, Augusta, Maine. [source of the images above]