Perhaps an early morning view, with the Sun shrouded by fog on the horizon, the Deer Island Lighthouse emerges from Boston Harbor, firmly planted on a reef extending 1500’ south of Deer Island. Originally a stone beacon when established in 1832, it was replaced by this “sparkplug” type lighthouse in 1890, which survived until being replaced by a fiberglass tower in 1982. Wikipedia states “the 1890 light cost about $50,000. It included a three-story dwelling, a veranda with boat davits, and a circular parapet. The water supply was a cistern in the base of the structure. A spiral staircase ran from the cellar to the top floor. It had a fixed white light, which was changed to flashing red every thirty seconds and then to the present alternating red and white flashes.”

Arthur Hammond: 1880-1962

Born in London, photographer Arthur Hammond arrived in America at Ellis Island on July 31, 1909 and quickly established his own studio in Natick Massachusetts by 1912- joining and exhibiting with the nearby Boston Camera Club. By 1920, he had authored the foundational book Pictorial Composition in Photography and became a leading voice for pictorialism in America through his position as associate editor of American Photography magazine from 1918-1949.