Hartford Circus Fire: Onlookers watch the burning tent
Original OwnerOriginally owned by
Helen Tobacco
(American, died 1993)
PhotographerPhotographed by
Unknown
DateJuly 6, 1944
MediumPhotography; gelatin silver print on paper
ClassificationsGraphics
Credit LineGift of Patricia A. Sieber
Object number2005.173.7
DescriptionA crowd watches as a fire destroys the circus big top and smoke fills the sky. Circus wagons can be seen between the fire and the onlookers.
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.
NotesArtist Note: According to a letter written by the donor, these pictures of the Hartford Circus Fire were taken by a professional photographer. He only brought a small camera that day, because it was only a circus, not an event that warranted a large, bulky camera. The donor's aunt, who owned these photographs from 1944 until her death in 1993, was dating the man, but the donor does not know his name. (Hudson 2/2/2006)Status
Not on view
