MARK OF MERIDEN SILVER PLATE CO., MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, CIRCA 1930

The iconic Boston Light, located on Little Brewster Island in outer Boston Harbor, was the first lighthouse in North America. Built in 1716 and destroyed during the American Revolution, the lighthouse was rebuilt in 1783 and is the last lighthouse that is still actively staffed by the US Coast Guard. Today it is the second oldest working lighthouse in the USA and a designated historic landmark.

The model for the present lot was designed in 1927 by E. G. Webster and Son. During Prohibition, large-scale decorative cocktail shakers were designed to be less regonizable vessels for concealing alcohol that could be readily displayed. A similar version is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (2009.2784) and another smaller version of this cocktail shaker sold in these Rooms 22 January 2015, lot 8.