This is perhaps, along with the Derby golf bag and the Napier Penguin cocktail shakers, one the most iconic of American made cocktail shakers. The Boston Lighthouse was the first lighthouse constructed in America, built in 1716, and still in use today. This structure is a much loved piece of the American landscape. Destroyed by the British in 1776, it was swiftly rebuilt in 1783 sitting on little Brewster Island, in Boston Harbor. Raised to its present height of 89 feet in 1859, this updated version would become the inspiration for this wonderful cocktail shaker, produced by the International Silver Company.Coming in two sizes, this, the smaller version standing at 14”with two levels of windows and the largest version at 21” with three levels of windows and a 48 oz. capacity. The largest version appeared in their catalog in 1929, called ‘No. 352 mixer’ and costing $50! Again, this was an alcohol related piece being made during prohibition, making this a very interesting statement from one of the leading houseware manufacturers in the country at the time. The lighthouse being a symbol of defiance launched to hold cocktails; perhaps a symbol of defiance to the authorities who moved to control the way in which the American people spent their personal time and money. A three piece construction to the shaker, it is a real statement piece for any bar, or purely as an object relating to American history and resistance. Signed on the base by Shreeve Crump & Low. Tracing its roots back to 1796, Shreve, Crump and Low is arguably the oldest jeweler in America. It all began when watchmaker and silversmith John MacFarlane opened a novelty shop in Boston. MacFarlane sold the business to gold and silversmith Jabez Baldwin in 1813, and one of Baldwin's apprentices, John Low, became a partner in 1822. Over the next two decades, the firm changed hands and names six times before Benjamin Shreve joined in 1855, followed by Charles Crump that same year. In 1865, William Shreve returned from the Civil War and became a partner, and four years later, in 1869, the firm was reorganized under the management of Charles Crump, giving birth to the iconic Shreve, Crump and Low. Business boomed as Crump frequently traveled to Europe, bringing back the latest in stylish jewelry and silver. Though the 1872 Boston fire ravaged the store, it bounced back, moving to its largest location near the Boston Commons, before relocating to its current Back Bay premises in 1930. While not known as an innovator, Shreve, Crump and Low has consistently provided its clients with fashionable, high-quality jewelry and silver. The firm has also been entrusted with prestigious commissions, such as producing the Davis Cup in 1899 and the Cy Young Cup in 1908, cementing its reputation as America's venerable jeweler. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the only Shreeve signed version of this formidable and highly collectible shaker to ever make it to market. We undertook an auction with Sothbeys in 2020 where a Meridan signed version of this shaker sold for $17500. This example, in perfect condition, is much more rare. It is likely to not be one of a kind. But, it is likely that these shakers, that were expensive when they were new, were commissioned in a series of under ten pieces for sale in this unique piece of American retail history.
