Snapshots of the Past

[Design for a certificate for the Philadelphia Association for the Relief of Disabled Firemen, with a view of a fire at 7th and Sansom Streets in Philadelphia] – Vintage Photo Print

[Design for a certificate for the Philadelphia Association for the Relief of Disabled Firemen, with a view of a fire at 7th and Sansom Streets in Philadelphia], [between ca. 1830 and 1840] — historic drawing
[Design for a certificate for the Philadelphia Association for the Relief of Disabled Firemen, with a view of a fire at 7th and Sansom Streets in Philadelphia], [between ca. 1830 and 1840]. Historic drawing from the Fire Engines collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

Few images capture their era like this historic drawing of [Design for a certificate for the Philadelphia Association for the Relief of Disabled Firemen, with a view of a fire at 7th and Sansom Streets in Philadelphia]. The original is held by the Library of Congress, so what you hang is a true record of its time.

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[Design for a certificate for the Philadelphia Association for the Relief of Disabled Firemen, with a view of a fire at 7th and Sansom Streets in Philadelphia]

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The centerpiece of this design for the Philadelphia Association for the Relief of Disabled Firemen is a view of an actual blaze at 7th and Sansom Streets, set within the certificate's lettering. Volunteer fire companies were the main defense against fire in Philadelphia in the 1830s, and injuries were common, often leaving men and their families with little support. The association existed to help such men, and a certificate built around a fire scene would have tied the organization's purpose to the dangers of the work. The finished watercolor and graphite drawing comes from the John Rubens Smith collection, and Smith's work as a topographical artist shows in the careful attention to the street and buildings.

Created / published[between ca. 1830 and 1840]
Medium1 drawing : watercolor and graphite, color.
GenreCertificates 1820-1840.Watercolors Color 1820-1840.
NotesFinished watercolor with letters for certificate from the Philadelphia Association for the Relief of Disabled Firemen. John Rubens Smith Collection (Library of Congress). Library of Congress prints and photographs: an illustrated guide / Library of Congress. Washington, D.C. : Library of Congress, 1995, p. 23 Published in: Eyes of the nation : a visual history of the United States / Vincent Virga and curators of the Library of Congress ; historical commentary by Alan Brinkley. New York : Knopf, 1997. Exhibited: American Treasures of the Library of Congress, 2002.
SubjectsPhiladelphia Association for the Relief of Disabled Firemen--1820-1840. Fires--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia--1820-1840. Fire fighters--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia--1820-1840.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,424 × 1,144 px · prints to 5 × 4 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-217657

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