From Dec. 1 through 29, Rockport Public Library, 1 Limerock St., will host a show of enlarged vintage photographs of Rockport schooner launchings from the late 1800s and early 1900s. The images belong to George Henry Jennings, who inherited an extensive collection of nautical photographs from his father. The exhibit, entitled “Schooners and the Wooden Wonders of Winter,” will also include some original illustrations created by Jennings.

Not only do the show’s photographs capture the drama and scale of the schooner launchings, but they depict Rockport as a busy, thriving 19th-century seaport. Jennings urges local residents to come out to see the images proclaiming, “Your house might be in one of the pictures!” The public is invited to chat with Jennings — and test his extraordinary local history knowledge — at a meet-and-greet at the Rockport library Saturday, Dec. 9, from 1 to 3 p.m.