A Chronicle of a By-Gone Era

The Photographic Eye of Nathan Weston Pease

Postcards are commonplace today, for some a preferred form of communication, but neither the quality or frequency of their use approaches that of the early Twentieth Century. An estimated 770,500,000 postcards were mailed in the United States in 1906 alone, and postcard collecting reached feverish proportions during the early 1900s.

Postcards also served as the livelihood for a host of struggling artists and photographers, who sold their work for commercial publication only to later gain preeminence in their own right. Whether sent as a souvenir of the family's travels, a special occasion greeting cards, or to commemorate an historical event, these cards captured the essence of a bygone era.

The 1883 World's Columbian Exposition is credited with prompting the first commercially produced postcards, though they caught the fancy of Europeans long before gaining popularity in the United States. In this country postcards were initially intended only as souvenirs, not to send messages. Written inscriptions, other than an address, were illegal on postcard backs until an act of Congress allowed for split back cards in 1907.

Tourism was firmly entrenched in New Hampshire's White Mountains by the dawn of the Twentieth Century, and postcards of the period offer a glimpse into a social era that has been relegated to history. The region captivated the interest of a handful of gifted photographers, among them F.G. Weller of Littleton, the Beirstadt brothers, who later garnered acclaim as painters, and Franklin White.

Early photographers used view cameras with glass plates for both postcards and stereoscope cards, which were highly popular during the late 1800s. The results are a testament to both the talent and fortitude. It is remarkable to consider the quality of equipment required for their labors, and that they lugged it up mountain trails to locales like Tuckerman Ravine, Mt. Kearsarge, Chocorura, Mooselauke, and other popular but inaccessible summits.

Another premier craftsman of the era was Nathan Weston Pease, but since his work was largely confined to the Mt. Washington Valley, so was his reputation. A Maine native who settled in North Conway prior to the Civil War, Pease recorded the changing face of the region for almost 70 years before his death in 1918. His earliest pictures predate automobiles, power lines, and the rapid growth that later changed the area so dramatically. At the same time, he chronicled the early tourist boom, photographing many of the White Mountains' premier hotels and surrounding attractions.

Postcards were not Pease's primary medium, but they have survived the decades since his death while the body of his work did not. Pease specialized in landscape photography, while also maintaining a portrait studio, and his appreciation for the region's natural beauty is apparent in both the scope and quality of his efforts. Pease was also an accomplished stereoscope photographer, and his stereoscopic view cards are highly sought after.

Nathan Pease was born on June 4, 1836, in Cornish, Maine, and according to the History of Carroll County, moved to North Conway in 1858. Eight years later he built the Pease Block, now the site of Firesigns on Main Street, to provide studio, photo lab, and office space. Pease's large collection of landscapes was displayed there, and he also carried a stock of souvenir china, White Mountain memorabilia, and other novelties. The Carroll County history, published in 1889, noted that "he has built up a fine business."

Nathan Pease was actively involved in town activities, from coaching parades to Congregational Church functions. He was the first president of the North Conway Library when it was founded in 1887, and originally the library was located above his Main Street shop. Local historian Helen Nute recalls that Pease presided when she borrowed her first book at age five in 1902. She noted too, that the shop was the only place in North Conway, other than hotels, where one could buy postcards when she was a child.

Pease was also instrumental in establishing the North Conway Loan and Banking Company and was the institution's vice president when it opened in 1900. His house was situated in the space between Mechanic and Kearsarge Street, a large Victorian cottage with broad lawns, says Helen Nute. The Joe Jones Shop and Village Pharmacy now occupy the site.

Nathan Weston Pease died on September 19, 1918, at the venerable age of 82. His daughter, Minta, inherited the store, and she in turn sold out to the aunt of North Conway resident Sam Caddick. In an unfortunate turn of events, the majority of Pease's glass plates were dumped upon his death, according to Nute. With them went the work of a lifetime, though his legacy lives on in the postcards, stereos, and photographs that have survived the years.

Author's Note: Thanks to Mark Hanson and Brian Smith, of the North Country Fair and Zephyr, for providing the postcards used in this article and for help in tracking down the information. And as always, to Helen Nute, for her co-operation and wealth of information.