ABOUT THE MUSEUM
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.
WE ARE MEMBERS OF
OUR MUSEUM CAMPUS
Open seasonally and by appointment, our campus is home to two historic Bridgton homes. The museum's main exhibits, located in the John and Maria Webb House, features the story of Rufus Porter and includes a collection of miniature portraits in The Charles and Judith G.T. Vogler Portrait Room; models of some of his inventions, books and pamphlets written by Porter, and early editions of Scientific American in The Kendal C. and Anna Charitable Foundation Invention Room; special exhibit space; and our highly acclaimed museum store, Ginny's Gift Shop. The Webb House is on the National Register of Historic Places and received a 2019 Honor Award from Maine Preservation.
The Nathan Church House is home to a collection of murals from various New England homes, an in situ mural room, and special exhibit space. The Church House is the original headquarters of the museum and one of Bridgton's oldest surviving buildings. It has been moved three times, with its final move in 2016 to its current location on Church Street behind the Webb House.
