Hartford Circus Fire: Men and Elephants
PhotographerPhotographed by
Unknown
DateJuly 6, 1944
MediumPhotography; gelatin silver print on paper
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (image height x width): 3 1/8 x 5 3/8in. (7.9 x 13.7cm)
Sheet (height x width): 3 7/16 x 5 13/16in. (8.7 x 14.8cm)
ClassificationsGraphics
Credit LineGift of Craig Hotchkiss
Object number2011.216.14
DescriptionFour men stand in an open area between two long rows of elephants. Bales of hay are nearby and one man is using a rake to pile hay in front of the elephants on the left. One elephant appears to be picking up hay in its trunk. Trees and frame houses are in the background.
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.
NotesSubject Note: This photograph appears to have been taken at the time of the Hartford Circus Fire. The trees and frame houses in the background are similar to those that appear in other photographs documenting the catastrophe. (Finlay 3/1/2012)Status
Not on view
1930-1939
