Smith Island Lighthouse 4th Order Fresnel Lens, 1884
A Fresnel lens is a convex lens surrounded with bands of glass ground so that they have all the same focal point. This Fresnel lens was made in 1884 by Barbier and Fenestre in Paris for the Smith Island Lighthouse built by the Coast Guard in 1858. Smith Island is located at the junction of Rosario and Juan de Fuca Straits, off the west coast of Whidbey Island. The Lighthouse was abandoned in 1958 in favor of a radio tower and this lens ended up at the Skunk Bay Lighthouse in Hansville, Washington, before being donated to MOHAI where it is currently on display.
ID Number: 1955.970.292
Date: 1884
Physical Description: 1 Lamp, Signal; metal, glass; 82 in.H x 45 in.Diam (at widest: base), estimated 550 - 660 lbs, Heavy. 86.25 in.H x 45 in.W x 45 in.D on Palette (7’ 1/8” h x 3’ 9” w). 81 3/8” h x 42 ¾” dia. Freestanding
Place Made: France, , Paris
Credit: MOHAI, 1955.970.292. Gift of Mr. Horace W. McCurdy
