Cape May Lighthouse Poster

In 1879, two unrelated events took place almost 700 miles apart that somehow managed to intersect 145-years later in 2024 in Cape May, New Jersey…

In Cape May, its pride, the Cape May Lighthouse, was already 20-years old when Dr. Emlen Physick constructed an 18-room mansion, designed by the great American architect Frank Furness. But by 1970, the mansion was in near ruin and slated for demolition when a local group was formed to save this precious estate, which is now run by Cape May MAC (MAC) as a Victorian House Museum. MAC is not-for-profit organization that is responsible for preserving and restoring not only the Emlen Physick Estate, but also the Cape May Lighthouse and the World War II Lookout Tower (Fire Control Tower No. 23).

Meanwhile in Nashville, Tennessee, brothers Charles and Herbert Hatch founded CR and HH Hatch, whose very first print job was a handbill for the appearance of Reverend Henry Ward Beecher, the brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe, and the rest is history. Letterpress printing flourished until the 1950s when faster, easier and cheaper offset printmaking made inroads into the already competitive poster industry. Luckily, some stalwart customers stuck by Hatch and inroads were made into ‘new’ forms of entertainment like rock & roll. Then in 1992, Hatch’s owners made a donation of Hatch Show Print to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, cementing their ongoing legacy.

In 2024, the Cape May Lighthouse will celebrate it 165^th birthday, fittingly on Halloween. This beacon is still an active aid to navigation and is now maintained by Cape May MAC. Since it opened to the public, more than 2.5 million visitors have bravely ascended its 199 cast iron spiral steps to see the breathtaking views of the Delaware Bay and Atlantic Ocean.

To help celebrate the lighthouse’s 165^th birthday, MAC members Carla and John Schaeffer reached out to Hatch Show Print to have a limited edition print of the Cape May Lighthouse produced. This limited-edition print, a production run of 110 copies, was designed and printed by Hatch using its vintage type and hand-carved images to capture a classic design that commemorates Cape May’s iconic 1859 lighthouse.

Regardless if you love Cape May, or cherish its lighthouse, or obsess over Hatch Show Prints, or adore classic posters, this limited edition print is simply, ‘one for the ages.’  Hatch’s artists achieve some remarkable effects with colors and layering that can only be captured using vintage letterpress technology. This poster is a timeless example of good old fashioned letterpress posters and all of the related hand-printed efforts that entails!

National Lighthouse Day is August 7, 2024, and the Lighthouse Challenge of New Jersey is on October 19 & 20, 2024 - don’t miss your chance to support MAC and have your own piece of unique American created and inspired art. The Schaeffers donated these Hatch prints with ALL proceeds from their sale benefiting Cape May MAC.

13.5" x 20.75"; Each print involves three separate letterpress runs - gold, blue and black. The artist creates shading effects by manipulating the ink so that no two posters are identical, resulting in truly unique prints.