Bar Light-House, Mouth of the St. John's River by Fenn, 1873

Bar Light-House, Mouth of the St. John's River by Harry Fenn, 1873. 

St. Johns River has had four different lighthouses in operation at its mouth in Mayport near Jacksonville, Florida. The first one was constructed in 1830 after the United States purchased Florida. However it was built to close to the water and had to be demolished three years later. The second lighthouse was built a mile up river from the first site, in 1835. It too was ineffective as shifting sand dunes often blocked the light from the sea. The river eventually enveloped the abandoned structure, though its ruins were visible into the twentieth century. St. Johns River Light was the third light house constructed and is still standing despite being decommissioned in 1929. It is taller and farther from the water line than the previous structures and is the oldest building in Mayport. St. Johns Light was built in 1954 and is the fourth and current operational lighthouse on the river's mouth. 

Harry Fenn (1845-1911) was an American illustrator born in England. He settled in New Jersey in 1865. Landscapes comprised the bulk of his work. Fenn contributed to such publications as Picturesque America, Picturesque Europe, and Picturesque Palastine, Sinai, and Egypt. He also illustrated several books, such as John Greenleaf Whittier's Snowbound and Ballads of New England. In his later career, Fenn also painted a few watercolors. 

Picturesque America was a two volume set which described and illustrated American scenery. It was published from 1872 to 1874 and was similar in concept and design to Picturesque Europe. The essays were accompanied by a total of nine hundred wood engravings and fifty steel engravings, based on works by prominent artists. It had a significant effect on American tourism and historic preservation in the United States. William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878) was the editor. He was a romantic poet and journalist. He also served as editor of the New York Evening Post.