1895 Norris View of Kingfield, Maine and Sugarloaf Mountain

View illustrating Sugarloaf, Maine's most popular ski resort.

A superb 1895 George E. Norris aquatint bird's-eye view of Kingfield, Maine. The view looks west on Kingfield from a hypothetical highpoint to the east of town, across the Carrabassett River. The primary streets of the town on both sides of the river are noted, as are private residences, service facilities, shops, hotels, and government offices. Behind the town some of Maine's most famous mountains are visible, including Sugarloaf Mountain (now a ski resort), Mt. Abraham, Mt. Redington, and Crocker Mountain. An inset in the lower right looks north from Maple Street to Bigelow Mountain.

Publication History and Census

This view was issued in 1895 by George E. Norris of Brockton, Massachusetts. Exceedingly rare. We have identified examples at the Library of Congress, the Kingfield Historical Society, Pennsylvania State University, and the University of Maine at Orono, Folger Library.

Cartographer

George E. Norris (September 29, 1855 – August 18, 1926) was an American hotelier, publisher, and bird's-eye view artist based in Brockton, Massachusetts during the latter part of the 19th century. Norris was born in Massachusetts, likely his lifelong hometown, Brockton. Norris began publishing views in partnership with Albert F. Poole (1853 - 1934), an established viewmaker who, at the time, was renting a house in Brockton from Norris' mother. His first views, most of which were signed by Poole, were published in 1883. In 1884, Norris partnered with Henry Wellge (1850 - 1917), publishing out of Brockton as Norris and Wellge, and later out of Milwaukee as Norris, Wellge and Co. Norris began drawing views independently around 1887. Most of these were initially printed in lithograph by Lucien Burleigh of Troy, New York. Around 1890, Norris switched printers and began using a more modern photomechanical technique, likely Albertype, a style of collotype printing. Although unattributed on any of Norris's post 1890 views, the pioneers of Albertyping in the United States were Adolph (1845 - 1938) and Herman L. Wittemann, who founded the Albertype Company in Brooklyn, New York in 1890 - corresponding perfectly to Norris' change in printers. In total, Norris produced about 135 individual city views. In 1897 he left the view business to open a hotel, the Hotel Norris, in Brockton. Meeting some success as a hotelier, in 1912 he also acquired the Hotel Grayson, also in Brockton. He ran this until his death of cerebral hemorrhage in 1926.   Further Details...

Condition

Very good.

References

Library of Congress, G3734.K5A3 1895 .N6. OCLC 51292587. Reps, John, Views and Viewmakers of Urban America (University of Missouri, Columbia, 1984), #1219.