Hartford Circus Fire: Smoke Billowing from Tent
PhotographerPhotographed by
Ralph L. Emerson
DateJuly 6, 1944
MediumPhotography; gelatin silver prints on paper
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (image height x width): 7 1/4 x 7in. (18.4 x 17.8cm)
Sheet (height x width): 8 1/4 x 10in. (21 x 25.4cm)
ClassificationsGraphics
Credit LineGift of The Discovery Museum
Object number2003.108.1
DescriptionSmoke billows from a circus tent with three American flags flying overhead. Automobiles, trucks, and elephants are on the grassy lawn near the tent. Men, women, boys, and girls are on the lawn, sidewalks, and the paved street in the foreground. One boy appears to be African American. Trees 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.
Status
Not on view
July 6, 1944
