A cross-section detail of a Fresnel lens installed at Sandy Hook in 1841 — concentric prismatic rings of glass

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First-order Fresnel lens, 1841

1841-06

A cross-section of the first-order Fresnel lens installed at Sandy Hook in June 1841 — the first operational Fresnel in the United States. Six feet across, twenty-four concentric prismatic rings, mineral-oil lamp at the center. Range approximately twenty-four miles at sea level. The optical technology of every American lighthouse for the next century begins with this installation.

Featured in chapters

The Twin Lights Century — fresnel-lens (image)

Item record

Title: First-order Fresnel lens, 1841
Date: 1841-06
Source: Placeholder — stand-in for USLHS technical drawing.
Contributor: Placeholder — stand-in for USLHS records
Rights: Placeholder — replace before publishing
Slug: twin-lights-fresnel-lens

Verification: placeholder item — metadata and image will be replaced with archival material before publication.

Cite this item

First-order Fresnel lens, 1841 (1841-06). Placeholder — stand-in for USLHS technical drawing. The Highlands History Project, https://history.abovethehook.com/archive/twin-lights-fresnel-lens/.