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Take it Easy: Portland, Maine in the 1970s
In the 1970s, Portland, Maine was a struggling seaside city on the cusp of change from a traditional working class gathering spot to a popular tourist destination. Take it Easy offers a remarkable series of long-forgotten black and white images captured by amateur photographer John Duncan that wonderfully capture the innocence, mood, and spirit of the both the city and the seventies before the malls emptied out the traditional retail districts and as urban renewal, high-priced hotels, fancy restaurants, and office buildings slowly began evolving to change the streetscapes and the skyline forever.
- GenresPhotography
144 pages, Paperback
Published November 8, 2021
About the author
John Duncan
179 books4 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
John Duncan
John Duncan, d. 1941 John^^^Duncan: Science
John Duncan (1866 - 1945) John^^^^Duncan: Scottish artist
John 8^ Duncan: Scottish Travels in Western Africa
John Duncan
John Duncan, d. 1941 John^^^Duncan: Science
John Duncan (1866 - 1945) John^^^^Duncan: Scottish artist
John 8^ Duncan: Scottish Travels in Western Africa
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 30, 2021
I was gifted this book by my youngest son for my 73rd birthday. He must have known this was a photo album of my young adult life without any photos of me in it. The places are places I knew and the people are people I could have known. We travelled in different circles yet knew the same city: Portland before it was gentrified. This beautiful collection brought back many memories of my youth… from walking the old Congress St. to small cheap apartments to parking lots that no longer exist and young people with long flowing locks and scraggly beards living ‘carefree’ lives. What a great snapshot of a great time, John Duncan. Thank you!
January 10, 2022
A great look at a lawless time for the city of Portland, Maine. Excellent motivation to pick up a camera and take some pictures.
August 6, 2022
What a delightful collection of black-and-white photos taken back in the 70's in downtown Portland! John Duncan captured street scenes and photos of his 20-something friends. I particularly found the photos taken on Congress Street of interest, as it showed that area before it drew all the visitors we see there now.
Duncan has a great eye for visual images. His notes on the photos and short essays about his life at that time add depth to the story his photos tell.
This book was published by Islandport Press out of Yarmouth and is very well done.
Duncan has a great eye for visual images. His notes on the photos and short essays about his life at that time add depth to the story his photos tell.
This book was published by Islandport Press out of Yarmouth and is very well done.
February 23, 2024
Beautiful look into the past and the bohemian times of our tiny city.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews