A pleasing pictorial treatment of a tree-lined roadway by the artist.

George Washington French: 1882-1970

A 1908 graduate of Bates College in Maine, French went on to a long and successful career as a commercial photographer who also entered his artistic work in national and international photographic salons. For nearly 20 years, he was a photographer for the Maine Development Commission, from 1936-55. A member of the Royal Photographic Society of London, The Pictorial Photographers of America and the Advisory Board of The New York Institute of Photography, he was the author of the 1922 volume Photography for the Amateur. An abridged pdf autobiography by the artist can be found in the Maine State Archives.

The following short biography is courtesy of DigitalMaine Repository:

George Washington French (1882-1970) was born in Kezar Falls, Maine to John F. (1851-1926) and Francena (Towle) French (1860-1950). George was the second of four children. His older brother William R. (1879-1953) known as Will, was a Maine Guide. He also had a younger sister Mabel D. Bragdon and a younger brother Earnest “Ern” (1891-1916).

He attended Parsonsfield Seminary, Bridgton Academy, and Bates College where he excelled as an athlete. He taught and coached at Deerfield and Monson academies. In the summer of 1911, he married Margaret B. Sears in Hawley, Massachusetts. They had two children Donald Sears (1912-1996) and Barbara Louise (1915-). During this time he worked as an executive for the Boy Scouts of America.

In the early 1920s the family relocated to New Jersey. In 1922 he decided to devote all of his time to his greatest interest, photography. For many years his photographs won awards and were printed on calendars and as greeting cards. In 1936 he became the official photographer for the Maine Development Commission.

The following is courtesy Sarah Weirich for Maine Memory Network:

Photography is an art capable of recording history. It continuously evolves both conceptually and technologically. Photographer George W. French experienced such innovations while capturing his own version of Maine’s history.

George Washington French (1882-1970) was born in Kezar Falls. His interest in photography developed as a child. As an adult, French and his family moved to Bloomfield, N.J., for a job, and where he started his own art and commercial photography business.

French eventually returned to Maine as the photographer for the Maine Development Commission. He worked for the Development Commission for nearly 20 years, from 1936 to 1955. His photographs were responsible for promoting Maine’s tourism industry.

French worked with a variety of photographic methods during the 20th century. He produced tintypes, glass negatives, color reversal film and more. He evolved as the technology did.

Outside of work, French was an enthusiast of genre photographs, or pictures that tell stories. Rather than capturing the most exciting scenes, French preferred to take pictures of everyday life; capturing the true spirit of Maine.

George W. French published Photography for the Amateur in 1922. This 417-page book served as a study guide for beginner photographers. French wrote a plethora of information on cameras, film, lenses, development, composition and dozens of related topics. The study guide encouraged readers to use their freshly learned skills to capture their own history.