When Wallace Nutting published this book in 1913 he intended to issue a limited edition of 200 copies. In 1922 Wallace Nutting wrote that Old New England Pictures was withdrawn from the market, "...after about a dozen copies had been issued...and to publish certain of its contents in this more popular form." ^{(Vermont Beautiful, chapter XLII, page 230).}

Old New England Pictures is a text and graphic book about life in old New England. In the Foreward Dr. Nutting writes: "it is natural to desire that the old life of New England should be enshrined in permanent form. ....The life of our fathers is worthy of more attention than it has received. This book is only a beginning, and it has not come too soon, as it is already very difficult to find the old homes still filled with the old life." The pictures tipped-in reflect the theme of the book, old homes and living in the days of old.

It was Nutting's intent that each book contain 32 pages of double sided text alternating with 32 blank pages with plate mark indentations onto which a hand-colored photograph would be tipped-in. Each picture was 8" x 10" and mounted on a 14" x 17" page. The picture page is signed and titled below the photograph in the usual Nutting fashion. The overall dimension of the leather covered book is 15" x 18".

When Wallace Nutting wrote "...about a dozen copies had been issued..." It was generally accepted that 'about a dozen' was probably ten to fourteen books. In mid 2007 a fifteenth copy was discovered. But the interesting thing is that the latest find has a Nutting Studio label identifying it as copy number 21 and marked 'special edition'. What we know about copy 21 is that it was ordered and paid for on October 8, 1917 by Miss Alla A. Libbey for $90 after a 10% discount was applied. It was completed and delivered on September 19, 1917. It probably was designated a special edition because some of the text in the book was crossed out in ink and other notations written into the book in what I believe to be Wallace Nuttings own hand. Other factors that make this book special is that it has 34 pictures tipped-in instead of the usual 32. (Wallace Nutting added two additional photographs; one between the copyright page and the Forward and the other tipped-in over the text on page 24). Wallace Nutting also tipped in a type written statement over the text on page 23 stating in part, "Special Edition For Alla A. Libbey" followed by a description of the five Colonial Houses pictured in the book. I can't imagine Wallace Nutting marking such an expensive and important book unless there was great significance.

A study of the fifteen books known to exist confirms that when the book project was undertaken in 1913 it was Nutting's original design that each of the 200 books he then anticipated would have the same 32 photographs illustrated. The fact that twenty-six of the 32 original photographs are addressed in the book supports this theory. This theory is further supported by the fact that of the eleven books known to exist with at least 32 picture pages intact, six books contain the same original 32 photographs in exactly the same order. The original 32 photographs are:

Four of the fifteen books contain 32 or 34 pictures from Nutting's Chain of Colonial Houses. It's obvious that since some of these Colonial House photographs are copyright 1915 and 1917 that these books were completed -as in the case of book #21- in 1917. The interesting note is this: Since we know that book number twenty-one was completed and sold in September, 1917, does this suggest that at least twenty-one books were made up to that point and we can expect to find six more -provided they survived time? Or did Wallace Nutting apply the copy number 21 to the book in question arbitrarily?

The five colonial houses represented in the photographs are the Cutler-Bartlet House, Newburyport, MA; The Saugus Iron Works House, Saugus, MA; Hazen-Garrison House, Haverhill, MA; The Webb House, Wethersfield, CT; and, the Wentworth-Gardner House, Portsmouth, NH. Five New England Colonial houses that Nutting owned, restored and furnished for his photography business. Five old houses that fit in perfectly with Old New England Pictures. Some of the 'Colonial' books may contain some of the same photographs but none are illusrated in the same sequence.

Five of the fifteen books in public and private collections are incomplete or missing pages. Two books have no photographs at all; One book has only twelve photographs tipped-in; one book has eight photographs tipped-in.

The fifteen books known to exist are:

1. A complete un-numbered copy in The Library of Congress containing the original 32 photographs
2. A second complete un-numbered copy in The Library of Congress is thought to contain 32 photographs from the Chain of Colonial Houses. (The list of photographs in this book has not been confirmed).
3. #1 of 200 is complete, privately owned and contains the original 32 photographs.
4. #3 of 200 is complete. It is in The Hartford Athenaeum Museum of Art, Hartford, Connecticut and contains the original 32 photographs.
5. #4 of 200 is complete, privately owned and contains the original 32 photographs.
6. #7 of 200 is privately owned. It is incomplete with 12 pictures mounted on signed and titled pages. (The list of photographs in this book is not confirmed).
7. #10 of 200 is complete; has 34 pictures tipped-in. In addition to the 32 photographs inserted between each page of text it has an additional photograph tipped-in on the front free and rear free pages. All of the photographs are from the Chain of Colonial houses. Some of the photographs are copyright 1915 or 1917.
8. #11 of 200 is complete, privately owned and contains the original 32 photographs.
9. #21 of 200 is complete; has 34 pictures tipped-in. In addition to the 32 photographs inserted between each page of text it has an additional picture page inserted between the copyright page and the Forward and one photograph tipped-in over the text on page 24. Some of the photographs are copyright 1915 or 1917.
10. A complete un-numbered book in The Framingham (MA) Public Library with the original 32 photographs tipped-in.
11. A complete un-numbered book is privately owned and contains only photographs from the Chain of Colonial Houses.
12. An un-numbered, incomplete book in the Framingham (MA) Public Library has eight photographs mounted on signed and titled pages. The eight photographs in this book are on the list of original pictures.
13. An un-numbered book in the Framingham (MA) Public Library containing all but one of the original signed and titled picture pages but with all the pictures removed. One text page, (page 35/36) was cut from the book and one picture page, (between text pages 40 and 41) was also cut from the book; the front cover is detached from the spine. Someone converted the book into a scrap book by gluing various Nutting memorabilia, (Nutting ads, newspaper clippings, flyers, etc.) to all the text and picture pages. I suspect that since the Framingham Public Library received the book from Ester Swenson, the head colorist at the Nutting Studio, that the book must have been used as a scrap book by Ms. Swenson.
14. An un-numbered, incomplete book in private ownership without any photographs in it.
15. A second un-numbered, incomplete book in private ownership also without any photographs in it.