Paul Francis Giambarba

Paul Francis Giambarba Mashpee - Paul F. Giambarba (October 15, 1928 - May 1, 2023) died peacefully at his home in Mashpee, MA on May 1, 2023, surrounded by his family's love, after a brief illness.

Paul Giambarba was born in Boston to Leopoldo and Grace (Ardini) Giambarba. His first wife, Ruth (Tremaine) Giambarba preceded him in death. He leaves his loving wife of 41 years, Fran (Martin) Giambarba; two children, Lily, of San Antonio, TX, and Andrew, of Mashpee, MA; two step-sons, Allan, of Kingston, MA, and Stephen, of Santa Rosa, CA; seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

He attended schools in Taunton and graduated from Medford High School in 1945. He attended the Massachusetts School (now College) of Art, and served as an artillery sergeant in the Massachusetts Army National Guard (1948-1955), which among other things, made him decide to live on Cape Cod.

Although best known for his work as a graphic designer, especially for his work for Polaroid, where he created 25 years of award-winning graphic design, including the iconic rainbow stripes, he was a versatile artist with accomplishments across many media, as well as a prolific book author, illustrator and publisher. He also built two homes in Centerville, where his family grew up, despite no formal architecture training. He enjoyed swimming, fishing and boating, and nature-watching in all four seasons.

A longtime Cape resident, Giambarba began writing, illustrating and then publishing a series of maps about Cape Cod and then almost 20 books, including Cape Cod Seashore Life; Surfmen and Lifesavers; Whales, Whaling and Whalecraft; Early Explorers of America; What Is It? at the Beach, The Lighthouse at Dangerfield, and Around Cape Cod with Cap'n Goody, mostly as Scrimshaw Press. His books were recognized as historically accurate and exquisitely illustrated, and several were later sold to major publishers.

In the early 1980s, he repeated this feat, again as a hobby, by creating CapeArts, a magazine devoted to highlighting Cape Cod's substantial group of writers, artists and craftspeople, which he wrote, illustrated, published, sold the ads for, and distributed, with limited freelance help.

In retirement, by now living in Mashpee, he was an early convert to blogging, creating multiple popular sites, including 100 Years of Illustration, The Branding of Polaroid, and Analog Photography at Its Best - several of the blogs receiving millions of pageviews and resulting in his inclusion in documentaries about Polaroid, such as The Impossible Project, and college course syllabi on design and illustration. He was an avid mentor to those who sought him out.

The family wishes to thank the Visiting Nurse Association of Cape Cod for the comfort and support provided in his final days. No funeral service is planned.