For Motif No. 1 Day, here’s a postcard that kind of sums up why we celebrate this old fishing shack. The caption on the back says:

Outdoor art class at Rockport, Mass. Motif #1 most painted subject in U.S.

Whether it really is the most painted subject, I don’t know. But it certainly is one of the most. It got its name from the artists who flocked to Rockport in the 1920s and 1930s and made it a frequent subject of their paintings.

From the way these people are dressed, I would have thought this picture was from the 1950s. However, from what I can find, its publisher, The Curhan Co. of Gloucester, started operating in 1961. Based on that and the clothing, I’m calling the date of this at around 1961.