Noontime Talk: Vacationland in the PMA Collection with Seth Goldstein

With Historian Seth Goldstein At the turn of the twentieth century, as Maine’s shipbuilding, ice harvesting, and quarrying industries declined, a new identity began to take shape: Vacationland. Inspired by images of Maine’s pastoral beauty, visitors from across the Northeast sought respite along its coasts and in its towns—many calling themselves “rusticators.” Join historian Seth Goldstein of the South Portland Historical Society to explore the rise of Maine’s tourism industry, using works from the PMA collection as a starting point for this story of transformation.