MP-0000.1828.93 | Lighthouse and wharf, Baie St. Paul, QC, about 1870
Lighthouse and wharf, Baie St. Paul, QC, about 1870
Alexander Henderson
About 1870, 19th century
Silver salts on paper mounted on card - Albumen process
10.2 x 12.7 cm
Gift of Stanley G. Triggs
MP-0000.1828.93
© McCord Museum
Description
Keywords: Photograph (77678) , river (1486) , Waterscape (2986)
Keys to History
Smaller Structures
Secondary coastal and habour lighthouses are smaller in size and were usually built of wood, which was plentiful and inexpensive during the 19th century. The exterior surface was often covered with cedar strips. These little tapered lighthouses, found up and down the shores of major rivers and inland waterways as well as at harbour entranceways, were known as "pepper-shaker lights." They generally ranged in height from 9 to 14 metres, including the observation deck and the lantern-a glass enclosure to protect the optical equipment.
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What
The lighthouse at Baie St. Paul is a secondary coastal light of the pepper-shaker type so familiar in the 19th century.
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Where
Baie St. Paul is located on the north shore of the St. Lawrence, in the Charlevoix region of Quebec. The Gouffre River runs through the town.
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When
Lighthouses of the pepper-shaker type were built during the middle decades of the 19th century. Because they were made of wood, very few are still standing today.
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Who
These small wooden lighthouses were often built by local companies for the government. The builders had to work exactly to the plan.
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