Rufus Porter was ahead of his time in several ways. Porter began his artistic life as a decorative painter. He moved on to portraits and later began painting the murals that made him famous. He painted what he knew — landscapes depicting the farms around Bridgton, Maine, his childhood home, and seaport scenes of Portland, Maine, where he lived and studied as a young man.

Porter patented inventions that were useful in the home, on the farm, and in the factory. The design for his revolving rifle cylinder, sold to Samuel Colt, helped revolutionize the munitions industry. He designed and promoted airships that could fly people across the continent, although they were never built in his lifetime. View an extensive list of his known patents and inventions here.

He founded Scientific American magazine in 1845 to encourage innovation in American arts and sciences. This pioneering attempt at progressive journalism often included clarion calls to clear the way for a bright and promising future. Porter set a tone of excitement for an approaching age where thought and action led the way out of a dark and restrictive past.

Founded in 2005, the Rufus Porter Museum of Art and Ingenuity, located in Bridgton, Maine, features the history of a remarkable 19th century New Englander, Rufus Porter (1792-1884). Porter is well-known in the folk art community for his landscape murals and miniature portraits, however, Porter was more than just a painter. He was the founding publisher and editor of the magazine Scientific American as well as inventor, writer, teacher and more. We are dedicated to capturing and sharing with the public Porter’s uniquely American blend of creativity, ingenuity, practicality, and energy by exploring the world and era in which he lived and worked.

Your visit to the Rufus Porter Museum campus, open seasonally and by appointment, offers a journey through history and art across three distinct buildings. Begin in the John and Maria Webb House, a beautifully preserved structure on the National Register of Historic Places (awarded by Maine Preservation in 2019), where you’ll encounter the story of Rufus Porter through miniature portraits, invention models, his writings and special exhibits. Don’t miss Ginny’s Gift Shop while you’re there.

Next, make your way to the Nathan Church House, the museum’s original home and one of Bridgton’s oldest buildings. Here, you’ll discover an in situ mural room, and further special exhibitions, all within a building with a fascinating history of its own, including multiple moves culminating in its present location behind the Webb House.

Finally, conclude your visit in the newly unveiled Graham Center, a multi-million dollar addition dedicated to showcasing the magnificent Norton Murals. This stunning gallery provides the ideal setting to fully appreciate these important examples of early New England wall painting.