We have a new framed watercolor print adorning the walls of our Master Bedroom. It was put in place on Thanksgiving Day 2024.
This artwork by Diana Wythe Tyler, originally painted in 1984, depicts the schooner Brilliant sailing past Latimer Reef Light in Fishers Island Sound, just 3.64 miles (3.16 nautical miles) southeast of MAXSON HOUSE.
Built for Walter Barnum and launched from the yard of Henry B. Nevins at City Island, New York on April 23, 1932, the beloved schooner Brilliant was donated to Mystic Seaport Museum in 1953. Currently, Brilliant serves as an offshore classroom for Mystic Seaport Museum and is home to one of the oldest sail training programs in the United States. The vessel has sailed the equivalent of five times around the globe, providing more than 11,000 students of all ages the chance to learn traditional sailing aboard one of the finest classic schooners ever built. Extensive information regarding Brilliant is available on the museum’s website here.
Latimer Reef Light is a sparkplug type of lighthouse completed in 1884 and named after James Latemore, an American Patriot. During the Revolutionary War, Latemore was captured after running aground on the exposed reef while spying on the British Fleet at anchor in Fishers Island Sound. He was hanged at sunrise the following morning aboard a British frigate and buried at sea. Encased within the partially brick-lined iron structure, having to endure brutal nor'easters and frigid cold during the winters, and miserable heat and humidity in the summers, this lighthouse was apparently one of the more uncomfortable stations for its keepers. It remained manned until it was permanently automated in 1954.
Tyler earned her undergraduate degree at Hartford Art School and her graduate degree in Art at Central Connecticut University. Connecticut landmarks often feature prominently in her work, including shoreline scenes and town centers. Her works are represented in private and corporate collections throughout the country and abroad. You can learn more about the artist and peruse her works featuring Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New York, and Rhode Island here.
