Linwood Dyer Collection (Part 077)
By Don Taylor

This week, I explored five more graduation portraits from the Linwood Dyer Collection, all taken at studios in Portland, Maine. Two of these beautiful keepsakes are imprinted “Portland High School, ’19,” one says “Deering High School, ’18,” and two others are identified by inscriptions for 1918 and 1923.

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Graduates Featured

Elizabeth Jack — Portland High School, Class of 1919

• Photo Type: Graduation portrait (4″ x 5½”).
• Studio: Hanson Studio, Portland, Maine.
• Imprint: “Portland High School — ’19” (bottom of photo).
• Inscription: “Yours in 1919, Elizabeth Jack.”
• Research Notes:
  Elizabeth Jack was on the 1918–1919 Portland High School Girls’ Basketball Squad. She served on the committee for a sketch, A Day at Altamont, which followed the play Mrs. Oakley’s Telephone, coached by Sadie W. Holden. She also performed at the War Camp Community Services Club in September 1919.

FamilySearch ID: G9PK-TNQ — (portrait added).

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Esther McCarthy — Deering High School, Class of 1918

• Photo Type: Graduation portrait (4″ x 5½”).
• Studio: Kennedy’s Studio, Portland, Maine.
• Imprint: “Deering High School — ’18” (on cover).
• Inscription: “??more speed, Esther McCarthy.”
• Research Notes:
  Esther Evelyn McCarthy appears in Deering High School’s list of 1918 graduates.

FamilySearch ID: LK9B-LFP — (portrait added).

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Helen Merrill Roberts — Portland High School, Class of 1918

• Photo Type: Graduation portrait (4″ x 6″).
• Studio: None marked.
• Imprint: None.
• Inscription: “Yours in the class of ‘18, Helen Roberts.”
• Research Notes:
  Helen Merrill Roberts graduated from Portland High School in 1918.

FamilySearch ID: GZKT-PYP (portrait added).

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Helena Ruth Jackson — Portland High School, Class of 1923

• Photo Type: Graduation portrait (2½” x 4½”).
• Studio: C. R. Smith, Portland, Maine.
• Imprint: None.
• Inscription: “P.H.S. ’23 — Sincerely Helena.”
• Research Notes:
  Helena Ruth Jackson appears in the 1923 Portland High School yearbook (page 36) — the same photo is printed there (reversed).

FamilySearch ID: L1K2-9T4 (portrait added).

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Lillian Temple — Portland High School, Class of 1919

• Photo Type: Graduation portrait (4″ x 6″).
• Studio: Hanson Studio, Portland, Maine.
• Imprint: “Portland High School — ’19.”
• Inscription: “Just to remember the happy days spent in Room 111 with Miss Doughty, Lillian Temple.”
• Research Notes:
  Lillian Temple graduated from Portland High School and intended to attend Bates College in the fall.

Unfortunately, I haven’t found a FamilySearch or Ancestry profile for her yet.

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Preserving Connections Across Generations

These portraits are more than photographs; they are bridges that connect us to moments of youthful optimism and accomplishment. For many families, these may be the only formal images of a loved one from that time.

If you recognize anyone pictured here — or can help solve an identification mystery — please share your insights in the comments below. I’m always glad to provide copies of inscriptions or additional details to family researchers.

All photos are available for personal genealogical use.
Please credit: Photo courtesy Scarborough Historical Society, Scarborough, Maine.

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Sources:

[i] Portland Evening Express – Jun 24, 1918, Page 6 – “Record P. H. S. Class.”
[ii] 1923 Portland High School – The Totem – Page 36 (via Classmates.Com)
[iii] Portland Evening Express, June 10, 1918 – “P. H. S. Graduates Chose Colleges.