Vintage Photos – Five unidentified images from Maine, Massachusetts, and England

Vintage Photos – Part 001
By Don Taylor

I encounter photos from many sources. Today, I look at five photos I recently came across.

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Store with 17 people in front, Cornish, Maine, c. 1885-1895.

Photographer: Unidentified
Inscription: “G. H. Snip | Cornish, Maine”
Description: An apparently large staff of 17 people in front of a large general store. store
Research:

• Based on the clothing, storefront design, boardwalk, and hitching posts, I believe the photo is circa 1885-1895.

I am providing this historic photo here; however, I have also shared it with the folks at the Cornish Historical Society.

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Teamster Hauling Wood, Dover-Jackman, c. 1895.

Photographer: C. A. Smith Photo Co.
Inscription: None.
Description: A sepia photograph from the C.A. Smith Photo Co. shows a teamster on a wooden wagon loaded with firewood, drawn by two horses, before a classic New England farmhouse. Likely taken around 1890–1895 in the Dover–Jackman region, the image offers a rich glimpse into rural Maine life and invites further identification.

Research:

•  The back of the photo includes a note about a picture taken on June 15^th, 1892, indicating this photo was taken after that date.
• The Rockland Courier-Gazette has advertisements for C.A. Smith Photo Co. into 1897, but I haven’t found any mention of the company after that date.

I provide this historic photo here only.

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Grocery Store Interior, Probably Allston, MA, c. 1895-1905.

Photographer: Commercial Photo Co., 14 Broadway Extension, Boston, Mass.
Inscription: Handwritten: allstn
Description: Professional interior of a grocery or dry-goods store. Ten men stand throughout the space. A sign in the back advertises “There is none better – Corner Stone Flour.”

Research:

• Commercial Photo Co. operated in Buston during the 1890s to 1910s.
• “Allstn” probably refers to Allston, a Boston neighborhood.
• The gas lighting suggests the photo was taken before 1906.
• Corner Stone Flour was made from the mid-1890s through about 1901.

I provide this historic photo here only.

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Public House, Probably Pendleton, Salford, England, c. 1900-1908.

Photographer: Unidentified
Inscription: On back: This is the house you were born in Jan 3^rd 1872 | John Holden.
Description: A corner pub with:

• Street sign: Steers Street.
• Banner Sign: Walkers Warrington Ales. Also, two window notices reading Walker’s Warrington.
• Banner Sign: British and Foreign Wines

Research:

• Walkers of Warrington was a brewery in Warrington, Lancashire, England.
• This is likely a Walkers of Warrington Pub.
• There was a Steers Street in Pendleton, Salford, (historically in Lancashire) near Manchester.

My initial search did not find a Holden family in Pendleton or Salford with a child born on 3Jan 3^rd, 1872. Further research would be necessary to confirm the likely location.

I provide this historic photo here only.

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Unidentified Man, Lewiston, ME, circa 1890

Photographer: Colpitts & Co. 52 Lisbon Street, Lewiston, ME.
Inscription: Mary A Smith | F-1109 | F-1295
Description: This is a classic late-Victorian cabinet card portrait of a well-dressed young man, taken in a professional studio in Maine. The combination of clothing, props, and printing style firmly places it around 1885–1895.
Research:

• Colpitts & Company was operating by 1889 and moved by 1891 when I. L. Hammond & Co. operated at that location.
• The 1890 Census – Veterans Schedules lists a Mary A Smith, the widow of John Smith, living in Auburn, Maine. However, I have been unable to determine the date of John Smith’s death.
• My search of the internet failed to locate this photo.

I am unable to identify this young man.

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Conclusion

I am sad that I was unable to positively identify any of these photographs. I would love to hear your reaction if you can identify any of these people or locations. If so, do you have a story you can share? If so, please use the comment form below. Ultimately, my goal is to reunite the pictures with the descendants of the people portrayed here.

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Disclaimer:

Some of the research in this post was aided by AI and edited with Grammarly.