Description:
This engraving of the lighthouse at Cape Henlopen is the first image of a lighthouse to appear in an American magazine. Indeed, we believe this is one of the earliest American images of a lighthouse one can hope to obtain. The Cape Henlopen light was completed in 1767 and first lit in 1769. This view, according to the caption, was drawn in 1780. It was published in the February, 1788 issue of The Columbian Magazine. Although the engraving plate is not signed, the engraver was likely James Trenchard, one of the proprietors of the Magazine. This wonderful early American image has survived longer than its subject -- the lighthouse depicted collapsed in 1926 due to erosion.
References: Lewis: A Guide to Engravings in American Magazines, 1741-1810: p. 4. Stauffer, American Engravers Upon Copper and Steel: 3293. Condition: Occasional, mostly very light foxing and a small stain at lower left in the margin; otherwise very good.