
The American Fireman Always Ready

by Chris Bordeleau
Title
The American Fireman Always Ready
Artist
Chris Bordeleau
Medium
Photograph
Description
a new print based on an incredible Early American Currier and Ives firefighter lithograph from the 1800s. This is one of four prints in a series called The American Fireman. Always Ready is the title of this one that would make a great gift for a firefighter. A uniformed fireman pulls a horse drawn fire wagon from the doors of the firehouse. This print reminds us that before the call could be answered the fire wagon had to be hitched to horses that were stabled nearby. All of this had to be done within a few minutes and usually on a moments notice.
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE: In the 1800s, fire was always a major danger in both large cities and small villages. A fire in a single wood building could spread and destroy a block or an entire section of a city or town, as happened in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The local firefighters and fire departments were all that stood against an unmitigated disaster that could destroy lives and property. As a result, then, as now, men sought membership in a fire department, whose firehouses frequently became the hub of the fireman�s lives. Some even had saloons, libraries and furnishings to rival the best of homes. These fire departments provided an early social network
DESCRIPTION: This is a classic, Early American style that Currier & Ives helped to foster and create with rich detail and bold colors. A bearded firefighter pulls a horse-drawn fire wagon from the firehouse. In all of the American Fireman series, a single fireman is featured; probably to emphasize the individual effort required to fight fires. Outside of the frame of this portrait there are other firefighters rushing to do jobs, but for this moment all of the focus is on what this single fireman is doing.
CAPTION: The American Fireman ? Always Ready.
ORIGINAL DATE OF CREATION: The stone lithograph on which this print is based was originally done in 1858.
ARTIST: Louis Maurer (1832�1932) is credited with the artwork for the original stone lithograph on which
Uploaded
January 25th, 2015
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