Arts and Artisans of Early 19th-Century Portland Text by William
David Barry and John Mayer Images from Maine Historical Society,
the Maine State Museum Portland's growth began in 1786 when
citizens changed the name of the town from Falmouth Neck.
Between then and the middle of the nineteenth century, the
footprint of the city as it exists today was established, a
maritime economy flourished, and the population increased
dramatically. Newly enriched merchants and community leaders
from Portland's middle and upper classes provided support for
itinerant and local artisans. By the early nineteenth century,
products made by native born and locally trained artists
replaced those of itinerants and the work of these Portland
artisans found their way into private home and influenced the
efforts of students, teachers, and performers in city schools,
theaters, and academies. The demand for the arts helped native
born and locally trained decorative painters, gilders,
silversmiths, potters, furniture and cabinetmakers, t