SACO, MAINE.- On Thursday, June 1, the exhibition The Best & The Bizarre: Saco Museum Jubilee - 140 years of history, curiosities & decorative arts opens at the Saco Museum. This major exhibition celebrates the museum’s rich history and its remarkable collection of decorative arts, textiles and furniture as well as some of the bizarre or unusual items. The breadth of the museum’s permanent collection means that there is something for everyone to enjoy from birds, antiques, beautiful costumes, a sword made out of Chinese coins and a 21-pound lock! The public is invited to celebrate the opening of The Best & The Bizarre at a reception on June 1 from 6 – 8 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.

Founded in 1866 as the York Institute, the Saco Museum is one of the oldest museums in Maine and houses an outstanding collection of 18th and 19th century paintings, furniture, decorative arts and natural history artifacts. With over 11,000 objects to choose from for the creation of this exhibit, the museum staff selected some of the best items in the permanent collection in specific areas, including furniture, costume, glass, ceramics, and natural history, as well as unusual or curious items. The exhibit features items from the collection that have regional and national significance, such as the Johnson-Wolcott camera, the first working camera patented in the United States in 1840 and portraits by John Brewster, one of the finest early American folk art painters.

The Saco Museum has the largest known collection of Brewster paintings. In addition, the exhibition includes rare 19th century bird's eye view lithographs of Saco and Biddeford - the "Google Earth" of their day. These enhanced perspective colored prints of the cities show a detailed view of every building in the downtowns in 1875.