Hartford Circus Fire: Remains of Bleachers
PhotographerPhotographed by
Unknown
DateJuly 6, 1944
MediumPhotography; gelatin silver print on paper
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (image height x width): 7 3/4 x 9 13/16in. (19.7 x 24.9cm)
Sheet (height x width): 8 x 10 1/8in. (20.3 x 25.7cm)
ClassificationsGraphics
Credit LineGift of Sandra Asor Piontek
Object number2003.5.4
DescriptionView of burned and charred wooden spectator bleachers, which are still standing. There are some wooden folding chairs still visible on the stands. There are tent poles lying across the stands and on the ground. Metal gates or fencing are lying in the foreground. In the background are circus wagons and trailers, also some trees.
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
