Design for a Lighthouse
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1921-6-293-2
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
This print, titled Design for a Lighthouse, was created by A. Le Canu, a French artist active between 1746 and 1768. Dating from 1760 to 1775, it is classified as a print and forms part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum collection, acquired through purchase by the Advisory Council. The work captures an architectural concept from mid-18th-century France, when prints commonly circulated designs among professionals. Lighthouses held practical importance for navigation, and this piece illustrates how such structures were visualized and shared during a period of advancing engineering knowledg...