On this day in 1789, Congress approved an act for the establishment and support of lighthouses, beacons, and buoys. Lighthouses previously maintained by the states received federal support. The original Morris Island Lighthouse on Charleston harbor, built in 1767, was one of the lighthouses turned over to the federal government.

August 7, 1989 was the first National Lighthouse Day, celebrated to mark the 200th anniversary of the original act.

This small painting of what looks like a lighthouse or distant boat (22.10.11) comes from the Dyson Collection. It is made with the Verre Églomisé technique, meaning the back of the glass is painted.