The Life of a Fireman: The Ruins. -- "Take Up." -- "Man Your Rope." Artist: Louis Maurer (American, 1832–1932)
Publisher: Currier & Ives (American, active 1834–1907)

1854

Prints and Drawings

By appointment, Duffy Study Room

This print portrays the aftermath of a major blaze, perhaps the disastrous fire at the clothing store of William T. Jennings & Co. at 231 Broadway in New York City that injured twenty firemen and killed eleven on April 25, 1854. Here firemen “take up” their gear after containing the great blaze, which is now controlled by a single hoseman. The engines pictured are manual pumpers. Firefighters were slow to adopt steam engines, not only because the earliest prototypes were cumbersome, but also because the use of manpower was a source of pride among fire companies. With the development of lighter, more-powerful steam engines, this attitude would quickly change.

Medium

Color lithograph

Dimensions

21 7/16 × 29 3/8 in. (54.5 × 74.6 cm)

Credit Line

Mabel Brady Garvan Collection

Accession Number

1946.9.1042

Geography

Made in United States

Culture

American

Period

19th century

Classification

Prints

Disclaimer

Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of records is ongoing.

Provenance
Mabel Brady Garvan Collection, to 1946; Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn.
Bibliography
  • Helen A. Cooper et al., Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: American Art from the Yale University Art Gallery, exh. cat. (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 2008), 132–33, no. 73, ill
Object copyright
No Copyright - United States
Additional information

Object/Work type

lithographs

Signed

Maurer, L.

Technical metadata and APIs

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