Portland Head Lighthouse, Maine Coast
Watercolor by Aldis B. Browne II

This item is sold.  It has been placed here in our online archives as a service for researchers and collectors.

Browne Lighthouse
Browne Lighthouse Browne Lighthouse
Browne Lighthouse
Aldis B. Browne II (1907 - )
Portland Light Maine
Signed lower right and dated 1948, with dedication “To Steve”
Titled verso in pencil in artist’s hand
Watercolor on paper
10 x 14 inches, overall
Sold, please inquire as to the availability of similar items.

Watercolor painting of the Portland Head Lighthouse, a Maine landmark in the town of Cape Elizabeth visited by some 350,000 to 400,000 tourists each year.  The lighthouse is depicted on a hazy day, the rocky promontory and tower backlit.  A recent photo from much the same vantage point as this painting may be found online (see References below). The first lighthouse on the site was built in 1791 at the request of merchants who wanted a light at Portland Harbor, then America’s sixth busiest port.  During the 19th century, the lighthouse and outbuildings underwent a series of improvements and additions.  By 1891, the tower and adjoining keeper’s house looked as they are today.  These basic structures have not changed since 1948, when this was painted, with the exception of the small building to the left and the replacement of the black roof shingles with red ones.

The lighthouse has accumulated a colorful history over the years.  A favorite contemplative spot for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, it inspired his poem, “The Lighthouse,” and a plaque marks the rock where he liked to sit.  The keeper’s family at the turn of the 20th century had a parrot named Billy who lived to be 80 and is said to have been fond of squawking the command, “Joe, let’s start the horn.  It’s foggy!”  In 1989 the lighthouse operations were automated and in 1992 the Museum at Portland Head Light opened in the former keeper’s house.  Maintenance continues, with a major renovation completed in 2005.

Aldis B. Browne II was a painter, portraitist and muralist, born in Washington, D.C.   He studied at Westminster College and the Yale University School of Fine Arts.  During the 1930s he exhibited at the Beaux Arts Institute of Design and the Wadsworth Atheneum.  He also participated in the WPA Federal Arts Project in the Thirties, painting murals at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and the U.S. Post Office in Oneonta, Alabama.

References:

“Browne, Aldis B. II.” AskArt.com.  2000-2005.  http://www.askart.com/AskART/artists/search/ArtistKeywords.aspx?artist=101498 (27 September 2005).

D'Entremont, Jeremy. “Portland Head Light: History.”  Portland Head Light.  23 June 2005.  http://www.lighthouse.cc/portlandhead/photo12.html (27 September 2005).

Falk, Peter Hastings, ed. Who Was Who in American Art. Madison, Connecticut: Sound View Press, 1985, p. 83.