An American Engraved New London Piquot Harbor Lighthouse Powder Horn with Mahogany and Glass Case, Connecticut, ...

Description

An American Engraved New London Piquot Harbor Lighthouse Powder Horn with Mahogany and Glass Case, Connecticut, 1791
Marks: NEW LONDON, DECEMBER THE 4TH, 1791, AAVERY
12 x 5 x 3-1/2 inches (30.5 x 12.7 x 8.9 cm) (horn)
14-1/2 x 7-1/2 x 6-1/2 inches (36.8 x 19.1 x 16.5 cm) (case)

Property from the Estate of Kenneth Alan Hill, Sr., Fort Worth, Texas

PROVENANCE:
Church, Homes, Ship, etc, The William Boylhart Collection, Lot 21, Vallejo Gallery, Newport Beach, California

The powder horn in original condition engraved with images depicting the buildings of New London, Connecticut and stone Piquot Harbor Lighthouse. Other images include a crowned merman, compass and Freemason symbols. A small bone stopper to the vent with a carved footed mahogany and glass case.

New London, founded in 1646 by John Winthrop, Jr., became an important port in colonial America because of its protected harbor at the mouth of the Thames River. In 1834, over 30 ships and 900 men from New London were employed in whaling. By the middle of the 1800s, New London was America's third leading whaling port, behind New Bedford and Nantucket. An early beacon of some kind was reportedly erected around 1750 at the harbor's entrance, but it soon became apparent that a more permanent lighthouse was needed. A 64-foot stone tower with a wooden lantern was erected at the west side of the harbor entrance in 1761, paid for by money raised by selling lottery tickets. New London Harbor Light was the fourth lighthouse in North America and the first on Long Island Sound. A tax on local shipping helped pay for the upkeep of the tower.

The lighthouse made it through the American Revolution unscathed, helping to guide American privateers into New London Harbor. In 1791, President George Washington signed legislation authorizing the expenditure of $360 quarterly to supply New London Harbor Light's six lamps with spermaceti oil. The lighthouse developed a large crack by 1799, and there were numerous complaints that the light was difficult to distinguish from neighboring homes.



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