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Postcard 1940s Linen Congress Square Portland Maine Walgreen State Drug
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Linen · 1942

Postcard 1940s Linen Congress Square Portland Maine Walgreen State Drug

Portland, Maine, USA1942LinenGood

A vivid snapshot of mid-century American commerce, this richly colored linen postcard pulls you into the bustling intersection of Congress Square in Portland, Maine — Walgreen Drugs and its fountain lunch counter anchoring the center block, State Drug Co. (with its cheerful Coca-Cola logo) commanding the corner, and Hay's Drug Store splashed in canary yellow across the far side of the square, all beneath a "Use Electricity" billboard that captures the era's optimistic faith in modernity. Period automobiles — sleek, rounded late-1930s/early-1940s sedans — cruise the wide intersection while pedestrians in overcoats navigate the granite sidewalks; a motorcyclist threads between lanes. The linen texture and saturated palette are hallmarks of the Curt Teich / Colourpicture era of American postcard production, and the card number 1B-H2581 helps narrow the print date to approximately 1940–1944. Portland's Congress Square was the retail and civic heart of the city, and the simultaneous presence of three named drug stores — Walgreen's, State Drug, and Hay's — in a single frame makes this card a remarkable document of Depression-era and wartime commercial density. Close detail crops reveal legible signage for an insurance agency, a clothing shop ("Suits Coats"), and the grand façade of what appears to be the Eastland Hotel in the background.

$16.95
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PC-00330 · Colourpicture Publishers, Boston
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