Man in uniform and children before a striped lighthouse

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A striped lighthouse rising behind a uniformed man and a small group of children makes this scene stand apart from the usual solitary tower portraits on the lighthouse board. The bands of color were a common daymark, painted so that keepers and mariners could tell one station from another by day, and the figure in uniform suggests a keeper or station official posing with the local children. Such gatherings were often staged for families, school groups or visiting inspectors, so the picture doubles as a record of community ties at an isolated coastal post. Look closely at the stripes and the clothing for clues to the period and the station's daily life.

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