The Finest Kind
Remembering Lobsterwoman Jean Symonds
Editor’s Note: Jean Symonds (1933-2025) was a lobsterwoman in the small village of Corea, Maine. I learned about her through Paul Breeden, artist and photographer, whom I follow on Instagram. Paul offers a remembrance of Jean in this photo essay. In 2023, Maine Sound and Story interviewed Jean, and that interview can be heard here. It offers deeper insights into her life and her work and its meaning in the Maine Lobster fishery and in the community of Corea. – Liz Thompson
Corea village. Photo © Paul Breeden
Clamming, Corea. Photo © Paul Breeden
Our move to a small Downeast Maine fishing village in the 1980s was a major change in our environment and lifestyle. Some had warned that Mainers were cold and difficult to befriend, and good luck with being welcomed to the neighborhood. And yet the very first citizen we met in our new hometown was so helpful and talkative that we could barely break away from the generous stories and helpful hints.
Jean Symonds. Photo © Paul Breeden
Jean Symonds with her dog. Photo © Paul Breeden
But then, later on, meeting Jean Symonds was the real icing on the cake. Here I was, an artist, a “flatlander from away” with not a single day’s experience as a hard-working, sea-tossed, early-rising fisherman. But poking around the harbor in Corea, Maine, I saw this lovely lobsterwoman, her smiling face lined with years of weathering in the fog and chill of the rugged Maine coast.
Corea Lobster Co-op and harbor from church steeple. Photo © Paul Breeden
And yet she cuddled her golden retriever with obvious tenderness and love. She accepted me immediately, and we became great friends. In the spotless kitchen of her gracious hilltop home overlooking the harbor, she offered me tea, as if I were an equal, and anywhere near as hardy and courageous as she. And then, of course, she sent me home with a pair of fresh live lobsters to later share with my wife.
Jean Symonds lobstering sheds. Photo © Paul Breeden
From inside Jean’s shed. Photo © Paul Breeden
As an artist, I collect photos of the working waterfronts; the sturdy and graceful fishing boats; and the workers in this specialized, salty environment. Jean, in all her remarkable warmth and honest beauty, always tried to shy away from my nosy camera. But somehow I managed to capture enough to last me a lifetime.
Corea Co-op. Photo © Paul Breeden
Corea Co-op skiffs. Photo © Paul Breeden
Although from out of state, Jean was soon enough adopted as an honorary Mainer. In her earlier years, she had been an Army nursing student, a university educator, and the proprietor of a small village store painted in a picturesque red that perched at the edge of the harbor. She served on the board of the all-important local lobster co-op and was active in vital community affairs.
Quiescence, Corea. Photo © Paul Breeden
Those who work on the water also need to be knowledgeable of governmental regulations, licensing programs, climate change, marine access, and even right whale regulations. Jean was well informed about all this, and the sustainability of the fishing industry, too. She hauled her traps from a beautiful modern boat and had herself a fine waterside home. And all this from first having lobster fished from a small rowboat!
Lobstering gear, Corea. Photo © Paul Breeden
Lines, Corea. Photo © Paul Breeden
In a community of tough male lobstermen who proudly christen their boats with macho names or in honor of their loved ones, Jean named her handsome white boat The Finest Kind.
Last year, Jean made a surprise visit to our little art gallery. Accompanied by a couple of her lady friends, she was, at 92, as spry, energetic, and bubbly as a young girl. She died several days later. We will always cherish that final hearty hug and her forever smile.
If ever there was a person worthy of their boat’s name, it was Jean, The Finest Kind.
The Finest Kind. Photo © Paul Breeden
Paul Breeden decided as a little boy to someday work for National Geographic. His first published artwork was in National Geographic magazine. From there he went on to illustrate for various other national and international magazines, books, and a U.S. postage stamp. His work was featured at the National Gallery of Art, American Botanical Artists, Brandywine Museum, Geosphere, International Earth Summit, The White House, and 100 Years of Illustration. Having worked in a variety of media, including calligraphy and photography, Paul now primarily paints acrylic Maine landscapes, mountains, and the working waterfront. For fun he paints mind-boggling trompe l’oeil watercolors.