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Rufus Porter (1792-1884) was an itinerant painter and muralist who traveled as
far as Hawaii, a brilliant inventor, a notable publisher and pamphleteer and a
dreadful business, so wrote Mary Hafer taking material from
The Bedford Sampler,
1974 edition, and Jean Lipman, Rufus Porter:
Yankee Pioneer,
1968. The Parlor in the Job Lane House was added 100 years after the house was built. At one time around the 1820’s Rufus Porter lived in Billerica, and we believe that he painted the murals in the Parlor at the Job Lane House around this time. He said paint was “cheaper than wallpaper” and bugs didn’t get behind it. It is a mono-chromatic painting. It was covered twice with wallpaper. The first time it was stuck on with animal glue. One piece of wallpaper that was removed has a picture of a house on the back. We framed this piece of wallpaper. The murals were restored and are now uncovered for you to enjoy. The room has a certain warmth with all four walls beautifully painted and restored. For example, we have a Robert Fulton steamboat on one wall, and experts have said that this dates the mural with great certainty and our steamboat is hand drawn, where most of the other drawings are made with stencils.We have a beautiful video showing the other homes painted by Rufus Porter, created by: Polly Forcier.. Also, please visit the Rufus Porter Museum in Bridgeton Maine, and at: www.rufusportermuseum.org Below is a sketch of a Rufus Porter mural piece, and not the one at the Job Lane House.
For more information about Rufus
Porter, Rufus
Porter Museum, Bridgton, ME Townsend (MA) Historical Society |
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