SeacoastNH.com Presents
Historic Portsmouth #327  

Portsmouth has more authentic historic houses open to the public than most American cities many times its size. Since the Victorian-era visitors have been taking home nostalgic reminders of their trips to “the Old Town by the Sea.”  (Read the article and see photo below) 

This memorabilia was cheap and often manufactured in Europe and shipped back to the USA for sale. These collectible items usually included a picture of the historic location bent into some utilitarian purpose – an ashtray, candy dish, mug or glass, postcard, plate, calendar, or paperweight. Most sites depicted on Portsmouth souvenirs are still standing – a testament to the hundreds of volunteers and benefactors who have kept the city’s historic treasures intact by creating a host of nonprofit groups. This photo shows a souvenir fan from the early 20^th century with a handle made of Bakelite, patented by Leo Baekeland in 1917. The paper fan was imprinted with a photo of the Thomas Bailey Aldrich House on Court Street. The photo was then cut and hand-stitched within a metal wire hoop. The shrine to the Portsmouth author was NH’s first historic house dedicated by Mark Twain in 1908, and now part of Strawbery Banke Museum. As you can see, more than a century later, the house and fence remain unchanged. The interior has been restored to the mid-1840s when Aldrich lived here as a bad little boy.  (Photo by J. Dennis Robinson)  

Among my Souvenirs

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