posted 02-21-1999 12:52 PM            

That question got me doing some research and what I uncovered about Beavertail's history may well result in yet another color change or two for the Harbour Lights model.

In this famous photo by Man Ray of Rock Hudson (left) and Jayne Mansfield (right), the tower's color certainly looks gray:

But a similarly posed photo by Man Ray taken just a few hours later shows how the lighthouse tower takes on the tan color as the sun is setting.

What's not generally known is that the Coast Guard experimented with different colors for BeaverTail lighthouse during the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's.

In the 50's, the charcoal gray tower was painted pink:

During the 60's the tower looked to many locals like one giant Lava Lamp:

By the 70's the tower took on a more patriotic "All American Red" look:

The 1980s was a very interesting decade. No one at the Coast Guard would talk about it, but I now believe that Lockheed's 'Skunk Works' famous for the U2, SR71, and Stealth Fighters, received a contract to see if a lighthouse could benefit from application of 'stealth' technology.

I've learned Harbour Lights is considering re-releasing a new sculpture of Beavertail as a set of 5 matched edition numbered sets as soon as they master the 'stealth' coloration.

posted 02-21-1999 11:12 PM            

(Lack of direction? Our government?)

Rudderless,

-Art