John Amato at his sandwich shop in 1959 — Flashback

This photo, printed on the front page of the April 9, 1959, Portland Press Herald and credited to Staff Photographer Elwell, shows “Mrs. Donald C. Bailey” (following the convention of the time, her own first name is not given), an agent of the Greater Portland Chamber of Commerce, with John F. Amato at Amato’s sandwich shop on India Street in Portland.

The accompanying news story by staff writer Frank Sleeper profiles Bailey’s work as the information manager for the Greater Portland Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber frequently received letters from people requesting information about Maine products — for instance, one tourist wrote to request the recipe for the Italian sandwiches she enjoyed during a previous visit to Portland — and it was Bailey’s job to investigate and respond to these requests.

The Portland Room of the Portland Public Library is in the process of organizing and conserving the archival collection of original Portland Press Herald, Maine Sunday Telegram and Evening Express photographic negatives — a major collection that spans from 1937 to 2005. Find more photos at www.pressherald.com/flashback/.

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