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Harbor Views: The Paintings of Fitz Henry Lane Walking Tour 

2026 dates include: July 17, September 5
Delve into the 19th century on this seasonal tour through the neighborhoods and waterfront areas in Gloucester, MA, that inspired the artwork of native son Fitz Henry Lane (1804-1865).

Lisa Mehlin performing conservation work. Photo by CAM Staff.

In 2025, the Cape Ann Museum acquired a rare oil painting by Fitz Henry Lane (1804–1865) of a floral still life, Floral Still Life, 1849 (inv. 251). This painting is early and unique to Lane’s oeuvre, and depicts an arrangement of flowers as gathered from a garden on Middle Street in Gloucester. Lisa Mehlin cleaned and revarnished the painting, and the conservator who worked on the frame is Wenda Kochanowski. The piece was displayed prominently in the Museum’s Downtown Campus upon its reopening on June 30, 2026, after being closed for over a year for renovations. 

A small group of Cape Ann Museum patrons embarked on a “Lane in Maine” sailing trip aboard the 1930 Gloucester-built schooner the “American Eagle” between September 14-19, 2025. Eighteen guests began their trip with guided visits to the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine, before then boarding the schooner for a multi-day exploration of many of the same harbors and islands that Fitz Henry Lane visited on successive visits during the late 1840s through mid-1850s.