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.
This mid-nineteenth century bucket is marked “H 1 L,” suggesting that it may have belonged to Hook and Ladder Company #1 in its town of origin. Hook and ladder companies, which were comprised of about twenty men, carried a variety of tools to the scene of a fire: ladders, hooks for pulling down chimney-tops and burning roofs, and axes for chopping holes to ventilate smoke from buildings. Sometimes ladders and hooks were carried on a hand-drawn cart, as they were extremely heavy. In the first half of the nineteenth century, hook and ladder companies did not receive a great deal of attention relative to engine and hose companies, but they became increasingly important as buildings grew taller and urban fire departments needed to use ladders with greater frequency. The first prototype aerial truck, which used mechanical means to raise, lower, and extend ladders, was completed in 1870; by 1900 the typical aerial truck carried a variety of equipment, including buckets, ropes, and extra hose.
This nineteenth-century hand-sewn bucket, marked only with the number 5, most likely belonged to an early engine. Most fire companies were formed around small hand-pumped engines, the first of which were imported from England in the late seventeenth century. As towns grew and new companies sprang up, additional engines were purchased. Each machine came equipped with four to six buckets, which were painted to match the color scheme of the engine and numbered to correspond with the machine. This bucket belonged to Engine #5, the fifth machine to be acquired by this particular town. Engine #5 was most likely painted red, gold, and black, like this bucket. Companies took great pride in their engines, and they were usually elaborated decorated, such as with painted panels depicting Liberty, Guardian Angels, or other allegorical female figures. Because of their association with engines, the design of a company’s buckets would have been equally important.
Note: Buckets G145 (hand-sewn leather; marked “1”) and G176 (rubberized canvas; marked “1”) are also examples of engine buckets numbered to correspond with their respective machines.
In 1857, Nathaniel Currier and James Merritt Ives became business partners and set out to produce popular, affordable decorative prints for American consumers. In the 1880s, Currier & Ives produced the "Darktown Comics" series of color lithographs, which would become one of their best-selling lines. Each of these depicted African Americans as racist caricatures and ugly stereotypes, and presented scenes where the humor, such as it was, derived from their buffoonish antics and "putting on airs.” These color lithographs were primarily created by John Cameron (1828-1906) and Thomas Worth (1834-1917), two artists employed by Currier & Ives. They drew on a broad visual vocabulary of anti-black racist tropes that had developed over the 19th century, derogatory signifiers that would have been understood and shared by their popular audience, who created a demand for similar imagery in numerous other commercial and decorative objects of the time. Cameron and Worth often set hapless black figures in traditionally white roles, such as firefighting, and the ridiculous failures they depicted helped to reinforce entrenched racial and social hierarchies, as well as to perpetuate the notions of heroism and leadership as white male prerogatives in the period after Reconstruction. When Currier & Ives shut down operations in 1907, New York City printer Joseph Koehler purchased the lithographic stones of the "Darktown Comics" series from the firm and produced restrikes under his own name for several more years.
This color lithograph – “To the Rescue” – depicts a fire company (“Niagara”) headed to a fire in the distance. The firefighters push and pull their old-fashioned and leaky hand pumper up a hill. This version is an original lithograph produced by Currier & Ives.
Volunteer firefighters often marked their buckets with their fire club’s motto, the first letter of their first name, and their full surname. This bucket belonged to J. Patch, whose club adopted the common motto “All Hands Hoa.” “Hoa” was a call used to excite attention or to give notice of approach, and so this motto reflected the fact that all members of a fire society or volunteer company were required to abandon whatever they were doing and report to the scene of a fire. Members would be fined for failing to maintain the required number of buckets or for failing to respond to an alarm. This bucket also features elaborate illustrations of a burning home and a ship. A house being destroyed by flames was a very common motif in bucket decoration, and served as a vivid reminder of the constant danger of fire. Such brilliant decoration proclaimed the glamour and excitement of being a volunteer fireman, and made the owner of this bucket look particularly impressive.
Note: G162 is very similar in decoration, though it was owned by a different individual.
In 1857, Nathaniel Currier and James Merritt Ives became business partners and set out to produce popular, affordable decorative prints for American consumers. In the 1880s, Currier & Ives produced the "Darktown Comics" series of color lithographs, which would become one of their best-selling lines. Each of these depicted African Americans as racist caricatures and ugly stereotypes, and presented scenes where the humor, such as it was, derived from their buffoonish antics and "putting on airs.” These color lithographs were primarily created by John Cameron (1828-1906) and Thomas Worth (1834-1917), two artists employed by Currier & Ives. They drew on a broad visual vocabulary of anti-black racist tropes that had developed over the 19th century, derogatory signifiers that would have been understood and shared by their popular audience, who created a demand for similar imagery in numerous other commercial and decorative objects of the time. Cameron and Worth often set hapless black figures in traditionally white roles, such as firefighting, and the ridiculous failures they depicted helped to reinforce entrenched racial and social hierarchies, as well as to perpetuate the notions of heroism and leadership as white male prerogatives in the period after Reconstruction. When Currier & Ives shut down operations in 1907, New York City printer Joseph Koehler purchased the lithographic stones of the "Darktown Comics" series from the firm and produced restrikes under his own name for several more years.
This color lithograph – “Slightly Demoralized” – depicts the aftermath of a collision of a fire engine company (blue uniforms), a hose company (yellow uniforms), and a ladder company (red uniforms) on a narrow bridge. Their fire apparatus smashed, figures in the scene fight each other, struggle in the water, or run away. It is paired with a second scene entitled “All on Their Mettle.” This version is an original lithograph produced by Currier & Ives.
Before they became established as decorative assets of parades and celebrations, early, "stovepipe-style" fire hats were used in actual firefighting. They served to protect firefighters' heads from falling debris and, by the later years of the eighteenth century, at least, to identify firefighters by company and name. This simple tin, "stovepipe-style" fire hat from the 1830s may have been displayed in parades but was primarily used as a work hat in actual fires. Since this particular hat does not include company information, it was likely worn to protect rather than identify the firefighter. This plain hat comes with a sweatband and is painted red with a black brim, bearing the initials "G.L.B."
This bucket belonged to Matthew Skilton, Jr., who lived in Burlington, Massachusetts. Burlington, a small town 13 miles northwest of Boston, was first settled in 1641 and was officially incorporated in 1799. Skilton was present at the first town meeting, held on March 11, 1799. His fire bucket features his company’s motto, “Protection in Danger,” which served as an identifying mark and articulated the company’s commitment to public service. The bucket also features a painting of an urn. Urns were a symbol associated with mourning and death, and were frequently featured on gravestones and in memorial paintings in the early decades of the nineteenth century. Here, the image of an urn may emphasize the danger and destructive nature of fire, and serves as a warning against inaction. This bucket is stamped with a maker’s mark on both sides of the seam. This mark, which appears to read “IFENNO,” may be that of John Fenno. Fenno was a well-known glazier who decorated fire buckets in Boston.
The design of this mid-nineteenth century fire bucket, which belonged to W.P. Goodhue, matches that of bucket G98, though they were owned by different individuals. On both buckets, the owner’s name and the word “social” are painted in black on a white circle, an inner blue circle notes the year, leaved branches surround this emblem, and a banner at the bottom bears the motto “Pour Nos Amis,” meaning “For Our Friends” in French. Firemen took great pride in their companies and devoted a great deal of time to decorating their uniforms and equipment. Firefighting provided both a brotherhood and a sense of personal identity, and individual volunteers used such decoration and imagery to identify themselves as belonging to a particular company. Street parades were frequent and well-attended in nineteenth-century America, and fire companies used these occasions to display themselves to their communities. For example, on the centennial of George Washington’s birthday in 1832, more than thirty companies paraded in a civic procession in Philadelphia. In such processions, elaborate displays were the norm. Decorated buckets—painted to match—and impressive uniforms distinguished members of one company from another, and created a striking impression for the onlooker.
In 1857, Nathaniel Currier and James Merritt Ives became business partners and set out to produce popular, affordable decorative prints for American consumers. In the 1880s, Currier & Ives produced the "Darktown Comics" series of color lithographs, which would become one of their best-selling lines. Each of these depicted African Americans as racist caricatures and ugly stereotypes, and presented scenes where the humor, such as it was, derived from their buffoonish antics and "putting on airs.” These color lithographs were primarily created by John Cameron (1828-1906) and Thomas Worth (1834-1917), two artists employed by Currier & Ives. They drew on a broad visual vocabulary of anti-black racist tropes that had developed over the 19th century, derogatory signifiers that would have been understood and shared by their popular audience, who created a demand for similar imagery in numerous other commercial and decorative objects of the time. Cameron and Worth often set hapless black figures in traditionally white roles, such as firefighting, and the ridiculous failures they depicted helped to reinforce entrenched racial and social hierarchies, as well as to perpetuate the notions of heroism and leadership as white male prerogatives in the period after Reconstruction. When Currier & Ives shut down operations in 1907, New York City printer Joseph Koehler purchased the lithographic stones of the "Darktown Comics" series from the firm and produced restrikes under his own name for several more years.
This color lithograph – “To the Rescue” – depicts a fire company (“Niagara”) headed to a fire in the distance. The firefighters push and pull their old-fashioned and leaky hand pumper up a hill. This version is an original lithograph produced by Currier & Ives
In 1857, Nathaniel Currier and James Merritt Ives became business partners and set out to produce popular, affordable decorative prints for American consumers. In the 1880s, Currier & Ives produced the "Darktown Comics" series of color lithographs, which would become one of their best-selling lines. Each of these depicted African Americans as racist caricatures and ugly stereotypes, and presented scenes where the humor, such as it was, derived from their buffoonish antics and "putting on airs.” These color lithographs were primarily created by John Cameron (1828-1906) and Thomas Worth (1834-1917), two artists employed by Currier & Ives. They drew on a broad visual vocabulary of anti-black racist tropes that had developed over the 19th century, derogatory signifiers that would have been understood and shared by their popular audience, who created a demand for similar imagery in numerous other commercial and decorative objects of the time. Cameron and Worth often set hapless black figures in traditionally white roles, such as firefighting, and the ridiculous failures they depicted helped to reinforce entrenched racial and social hierarchies, as well as to perpetuate the notions of heroism and leadership as white male prerogatives in the period after Reconstruction. When Currier & Ives shut down operations in 1907, New York City printer Joseph Koehler purchased the lithographic stones of the "Darktown Comics" series from the firm and produced restrikes under his own name for several more years.
This color lithograph – “Hook and Ladder Gymnastics” – depicts a ladder company attempting to rescue people from a burning house. Firefighters point hoses at the fire, but their streams fall short. A ladder topples with a woman holding on to the top. This version is an original lithograph produced by Currier & Ives.
In 1857, Nathaniel Currier and James Merritt Ives became business partners and set out to produce popular, affordable decorative prints for American consumers. In the 1880s, Currier & Ives produced the "Darktown Comics" series of color lithographs, which would become one of their best-selling lines. Each of these depicted African Americans as racist caricatures and ugly stereotypes, and presented scenes where the humor, such as it was, derived from their buffoonish antics and "putting on airs.” These color lithographs were primarily created by John Cameron (1828-1906) and Thomas Worth (1834-1917), two artists employed by Currier & Ives. They drew on a broad visual vocabulary of anti-black racist tropes that had developed over the 19th century, derogatory signifiers that would have been understood and shared by their popular audience, who created a demand for similar imagery in numerous other commercial and decorative objects of the time. Cameron and Worth often set hapless black figures in traditionally white roles, such as firefighting, and the ridiculous failures they depicted helped to reinforce entrenched racial and social hierarchies, as well as to perpetuate the notions of heroism and leadership as white male prerogatives in the period after Reconstruction. When Currier & Ives shut down operations in 1907, New York City printer Joseph Koehler purchased the lithographic stones of the "Darktown Comics" series from the firm and produced restrikes under his own name for several more years.
This color lithograph – “All on Their Mettle” – depicts a fire engine company (blue uniforms), a hose company (yellow uniforms), and a ladder company (red uniforms) rushing to a fire, all about to collide on a narrow bridge. Their respective officers urge them on through speaking trumpets, each intent on being first on the scene. It is paired with a second scene entitled “Slightly Demoralized.” This version is an original lithograph produced by Currier & Ives.
In 1857, Nathaniel Currier and James Merritt Ives became business partners and set out to produce popular, affordable decorative prints for American consumers. In the 1880s, Currier & Ives produced the "Darktown Comics" series of color lithographs, which would become one of their best-selling lines. Each of these depicted African Americans as racist caricatures and ugly stereotypes, and presented scenes where the humor, such as it was, derived from their buffoonish antics and "putting on airs.” These color lithographs were primarily created by John Cameron (1828-1906) and Thomas Worth (1834-1917), two artists employed by Currier & Ives. They drew on a broad visual vocabulary of anti-black racist tropes that had developed over the 19th century, derogatory signifiers that would have been understood and shared by their popular audience, who created a demand for similar imagery in numerous other commercial and decorative objects of the time. Cameron and Worth often set hapless black figures in traditionally white roles, such as firefighting, and the ridiculous failures they depicted helped to reinforce entrenched racial and social hierarchies, as well as to perpetuate the notions of heroism and leadership as white male prerogatives in the period after Reconstruction. When Currier & Ives shut down operations in 1907, New York City printer Joseph Koehler purchased the lithographic stones of the "Darktown Comics" series from the firm and produced restrikes under his own name for several more years.
This color lithograph – “The Darktown Hook and Ladder Corps” – depicts a ladder company headed to a fire. The ladder truck is rickety and pulled by a white mule, assisted by grandstanding firefighters. Spectators wave from the side of the road. This version is an original lithograph produced by Currier & Ives.
This riveted leather bucket belonged to A. Stiles, a member of the Union Fire Company in Moorestown. The volunteer fire company provided men with the opportunity to prove their worth, fulfill a particular ideal of citizenship, and be instant heroes. Companies frequently chose names such as “Union,” which would demonstrate their patriotism, civic virtue, and devotion to American ideals. However, not everyone in nineteenth-century America was allowed to participate in fire companies and thus be acknowledged as a virtuous citizen. Firefighting was an exclusively male and Caucasian endeavor, as civic duty and property rights were considered the domain of white males. Women were not allowed in volunteer companies, though they might participate in limited ways, such as the bucket brigade. The volunteer fireman was celebrated as an ideal of masculinity; contests between companies, in which each would try to pump water the fastest and the highest, allowed men to put their masculinity on display. African-Americans were also not usually members of fire companies. In Philadelphia, blacks attempted to form their own African Fire Association in 1818, but community pressure and hostility from white companies quickly forced them to disband. Firefighters excluded people from public service, based on who they believed deserved the opportunity to prove their civic virtue.
On this bucket, the eagle of the Great Seal of the United States was painted below the name of the owner, J. Bickel. The design for the Great Seal was adopted on June 20, 1782, after several years of discussion and modification. On the Seal, the eagle is posed with wings and legs fully extended, which in heraldry is known as the “displayed” position. In the right talon, the eagle holds an olive branch, representing peace. In the left talon is a bundle of arrows, symbolizing war or the willingness to defend peaceful ideals. On the bird’s breast is a shield with thirteen red and white stripes and thirteen stars. In its beak, the eagle holds a ribbon with the motto E Pluribus Unum (“Out of Many, One”), and above the eagle’s head is a constellation of thirteen stars. After its adoption as the symbol on the Great Seal, the eagle became a popular patriotic symbol, used in a profusion of forms. A symbol of strength, the eagle was carved, embroidered, painted, and drawn on everything imaginable. The eagle was a symbol commonly used by volunteer firefighters to demonstrate their virility and patriotism. On this bucket, the design of the Great Seal features a common modification: the shield features only stripes, and the ribbon and stars are missing.
In 1857, Nathaniel Currier and James Merritt Ives became business partners and set out to produce popular, affordable decorative prints for American consumers. In the 1880s, Currier & Ives produced the "Darktown Comics" series of color lithographs, which would become one of their best-selling lines. Each of these depicted African Americans as racist caricatures and ugly stereotypes, and presented scenes where the humor, such as it was, derived from their buffoonish antics and "putting on airs.” These color lithographs were primarily created by John Cameron (1828-1906) and Thomas Worth (1834-1917), two artists employed by Currier & Ives. They drew on a broad visual vocabulary of anti-black racist tropes that had developed over the 19th century, derogatory signifiers that would have been understood and shared by their popular audience, who created a demand for similar imagery in numerous other commercial and decorative objects of the time. Cameron and Worth often set hapless black figures in traditionally white roles, such as firefighting, and the ridiculous failures they depicted helped to reinforce entrenched racial and social hierarchies, as well as to perpetuate the notions of heroism and leadership as white male prerogatives in the period after Reconstruction. When Currier & Ives shut down operations in 1907, New York City printer Joseph Koehler purchased the lithographic stones of the "Darktown Comics" series from the firm and produced restrikes under his own name for several more years.
This color lithograph – “Hook and Ladder Gymnastics” – depicts a ladder company attempting to rescue people from a burning house. Firefighters point hoses at the fire, but their streams fall short. A ladder topples with a woman holding on to the top. This version is a restrike produced by Joseph Koehler after 1907.
In 1857, Nathaniel Currier and James Merritt Ives became business partners and set out to produce popular, affordable decorative prints for American consumers. In the 1880s, Currier & Ives produced the "Darktown Comics" series of color lithographs, which would become one of their best-selling lines. Each of these depicted African Americans as racist caricatures and ugly stereotypes, and presented scenes where the humor, such as it was, derived from their buffoonish antics and "putting on airs.” These color lithographs were primarily created by John Cameron (1828-1906) and Thomas Worth (1834-1917), two artists employed by Currier & Ives. They drew on a broad visual vocabulary of anti-black racist tropes that had developed over the 19th century, derogatory signifiers that would have been understood and shared by their popular audience, who created a demand for similar imagery in numerous other commercial and decorative objects of the time. Cameron and Worth often set hapless black figures in traditionally white roles, such as firefighting, and the ridiculous failures they depicted helped to reinforce entrenched racial and social hierarchies, as well as to perpetuate the notions of heroism and leadership as white male prerogatives in the period after Reconstruction. When Currier & Ives shut down operations in 1907, New York City printer Joseph Koehler purchased the lithographic stones of the "Darktown Comics" series from the firm and produced restrikes under his own name for several more years.
This color lithograph – “Saved!” – depicts a fire company attempting to rescue people from a burning house. Firefighters point hoses at the fire, but their streams fall short. A woman jumps into a ragged blanket held by two firefighters, while another is carried out the door. A firefighter squirts a third figure, still inside, with the fire hose, while four others pump their old-fashioned hand engine in the background. This version is an original lithograph produced by Currier & Ives.
In 1857, Nathaniel Currier and James Merritt Ives became business partners and set out to produce popular, affordable decorative prints for American consumers. In the 1880s, Currier & Ives produced the "Darktown Comics" series of color lithographs, which would become one of their best-selling lines. Each of these depicted African Americans as racist caricatures and ugly stereotypes, and presented scenes where the humor, such as it was, derived from their buffoonish antics and "putting on airs.” These color lithographs were primarily created by John Cameron (1828-1906) and Thomas Worth (1834-1917), two artists employed by Currier & Ives. They drew on a broad visual vocabulary of anti-black racist tropes that had developed over the 19th century, derogatory signifiers that would have been understood and shared by their popular audience, who created a demand for similar imagery in numerous other commercial and decorative objects of the time. Cameron and Worth often set hapless black figures in traditionally white roles, such as firefighting, and the ridiculous failures they depicted helped to reinforce entrenched racial and social hierarchies, as well as to perpetuate the notions of heroism and leadership as white male prerogatives in the period after Reconstruction. When Currier & Ives shut down operations in 1907, New York City printer Joseph Koehler purchased the lithographic stones of the "Darktown Comics" series from the firm and produced restrikes under his own name for several more years.
This color lithograph – “Slightly Demoralized” – depicts the aftermath of a collision of a fire engine company (blue uniforms), a hose company (yellow uniforms), and a ladder company (red uniforms) on a narrow bridge. Their fire apparatus smashed, figures in the scene fight each other, struggle in the water, or run away. It is paired with a second scene entitled “All on Their Mettle.” This version is a restrike produced by Joseph Koehler after 1907.