The George W. Bourne House was built in 1826 as a classic federal structure with an attached ell and barn. Following its exuberant, ornamental embellishment in 1855, it became known as the "Wedding Cake" house.

This daguerreotype is a "before" photograph, prior to the embellishment added in 1855. A companion image also exists in the Vickery-Shettleworth collection of early Maine photography.