In the 19th century, Maine-registered vessels represented between 10% and 25% of the entire foreign trade of the United States. While at port, the bow of a ship overhung or was next to a harbor’s piers and docks; it was, therefore, a prime location for visual advertising. Figureheads placed at the prow of a vessel served as eye-catching and memorable images. Their subjects typically were a reminder of the vessel’s name, such as this example from the Clarissa Ann. Commissioned by Levi Houghton, the vessel’s owner, this figurehead depicts an idealized portrait of Houghton’s then five-year-old daughter, following contemporary beauty standards of the period and incorporating traditional figurehead elements. It is attributed to Nathaniel Winsor, the only known shipcarver operating in Bath in 1824. It is the oldest surviving figurehead from a Maine vessel and speaks to the legacy of shipbuilding in the state. The Clarissa Ann was engaged in transatlantic trade for most of her career, returning to Bath occasionally for repairs or to deliver a cargo. She was damaged and condemned after arriving in Havana in January 1840. The figurehead was removed and mounted to the exterior of the carriage house at the family’s Bath estate, The Cedars, where it remained until 1942.