Historic Lunenburg: The Days of Sail, 1880-1930

Richard Wilbur is the author of The Rise of French New Brunswick and
co-author of Silver Harvest: The Fundy Weirmen’s Story.

Historic Lunenburg is part of Nimbus Publishing’s Images of Our Past
series, which focuses on “the preservation and celebration of Atlantic
Canada’s town and country heritage.” In a nine-page introduction,
Parker gives an excellent summary of what was in many ways Lunenburg’s
glory era—a time when skilled artisans built sailing vessels and
turned them into a profitable fishing fleet that lasted until 1930. The
eight chapters include a pictorial history of the waterfront, followed
by streetscapes, business and industry, public service, life at sea, the
Bluenose, leisure, customs and special events, and country life. The
archival photographs have reproduced with wonderful clarity and are
accompanied by informative captions.

Fishermen, their boats, and their catches are recurrent images. A
section entitled “Life at Sea” features the work of the renowned
photographer F.W. Wallace, close-ups of fishermen bobbing about in
dories or reefing sails. Parker’s descriptions of handling, trawling,
or salting the catch are excellent, and captures the essential
ingredient of a successful fishing venture—cooperation. He also
acknowledges the contributions of the fishermen’s wives who ran the
farms, a necessary endeavor because fishing was “not a lucrative
profession.” Historic Lunenburg is a superb marriage of text and
photographs.