Bathers

Bathers

Life's a Beach: Image of a group of swimmers at Popham Beach. Visible in image: A family gathering, including representatives of the Stacey and Williams families, poses at the water's edge. Wet swimming costumes indicate that some took a dip before the photograph was made. Looking at this photograph of bathers on Popham Beach in 1898 makes one smile. This is the epitome of summering on Maine's shore. Popham village is at the end of the peninsula stretching down from Bath at the mouth of the Kennebec River. Its long sandy beach was a popular destination for summer visitors arriving by steamboat or carriage. It boasted a couple of large hotels and lovely cottages, but it was the beach itself that was the biggest draw. The bathing costumes seem funny and old fashioned to us, but we can still relate to the joy of spending a lazy summer day in the surf and sand. The photo was made by Captain James Perkins, a steamboat captain working the Kennebec River. He loved to photograph the various steamships and sailing vessels that plied the river and coastal waters, but he also loved to capture the coastal village life and people. Popham was and still is a special place. James Perkins Collection