Hartford Circus Fire: Tent Fully Engulfed in Flames
PhotographerPhotographed by
Unknown
DateJuly 6, 1944
MediumPhotography; gelatin silver print on paper
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (image height x width): 3 1/4 x 4 1/2in. (8.3 x 11.4cm)
Sheet (height x width): 3 1/2 x 4 3/4in. (8.9 x 12.1cm)
ClassificationsGraphics
Credit LineGift of Craig Hotchkiss
Object number2011.216.3
DescriptionSpectators in the foreground have turned to look back as the circus tent collapses as it is engulfed in flames. What appears to be bleachers are visible at the left. The sky is filled with smoke and flames.
Label TextThe Hartford Circus Fire took place in Hartford, Connecticut, on the afternoon of July 6, 1944. The large tent housing the main performance area of the circus caught fire and burned at an incredibly rapid rate. The tent had been soaked with a mixture of gasoline and paraffin in order to waterproof it, and as a result once it started there was no stopping it. Several hundred people were injured, and 168 people were killed.
Status
Not on view
July 6, 1944
July 6, 1944
July 6, 1944
July 6, 1944
