The stretch of sidewalk down Congress and Free Street toward Monument Square, seen from the intersection of the two at Congress Square, was the main shopping district in Portland throughout the 20th century. Congress Square transitioned from residential to commercial use in the 1920s. The H.H. Hay drugstore stood at the center of the intersection at the time this postcard was produced.

The caption reads, "Congress and Free Streets from Congress Square, Portland, Maine."

The Tichnor Brothers printing company published this type of postcard circa 1938.