Fire Bucket, "Solomon Henkel No. 4"
Fire Bucket, "Solomon Henkel No. 4"
Previous
Next
Usage conditions apply
- Description
- This bucket belonged to Solomon Henckel (1777-1847), whose family was very prominent within the Lutheran Church. Solomon’s father, Paul Henckel, was a Lutheran minister active in Virginia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Ohio. Paul Henckel encouraged his sons Solomon and Ambrose to establish a printery, the Henkel Press, in New Market, Virginia. Solomon was the main organizer and eventually the owner of this printery. In addition, while Solomon’s five brothers became Lutheran ministers like their father, Solomon was a medical doctor. The decoration of Solomon Henckel’s fire bucket reflects his profession: its identifying mark is the mortar and pestle. The mortar and pestle, a tool used to crush, grind, and mix substances, was traditionally used by pharmacists to prepare prescriptions. This common icon was used to represent Henckel’s involvement in medicine and healing, and made this fire bucket easily recognizable as his.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Object Name
- bucket, fire
- date made
- ca 1805
- maker
- unknown
- Physical Description
- leather (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 15 1/2 in x 9 in; 39.37 cm x 22.86 cm
- ID Number
- 2005.0233.0261
- accession number
- 2005.0233
- catalog number
- 2005.0233.0261
- Credit Line
- Gift of CIGNA Museum and Art Collection
- subject
- Fire Fighting
- See more items in
- Cultural and Community Life: Fire Fighting and Law Enforcement
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
Nominate this object for photography.
Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.
If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.
