Portland’s Eastern Promenade looks out onto the Casco Bay islands. While it incorporated a thoughtfully designed landscape by the 20th century, the land was used by early City inhabitants for cattle grazing until construction of a roadway in 1837, leading from Fore Street to Washington Avenue. The first formal designs for the promenade were begun in 1879 by William Goodwin and included establishment of new roads, a swimming beach, an esplanade, and a drive to water’s edge. Mayor Baxter commissioned the renowned Olmsted Brothers to design improvements along both the Eastern and Western Promenades in 1905. In the winter of 1933-1934, the Maine Emergency Relief Agency, the Federal Civil Works Administration in Portland authorized work on the East End Beach and Eastern Promenade.

The caption reads, "Eastern Promenade, Portland, Maine."

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