Portland Observatory
Souvenir ware, such as these plates [75-80], were popular mementos for visitors and locals alike at the turn of the nineteenth century. The pictures adorning the plates are either photographic transfers or reproductions of original drawings. Local Portland merchants, such as the dry-good firm of Oren Hooper's Sons or John M. Conway, commissioned souvenir plates for sale in their stores. The selection displayed here were manufactured in England, Germany and Austria between 1900 and 1920 and is part of an extensive collection of ceramics decorated with views compiled by Kenneth E. Thompson Jr.
Oren Hooper’s Sons
Portland Observatory, Portland, Maine
Portland, c. 1910