Hartford Circus Fire: Tractor and Trailer
PhotographerPhotographed by
Ralph L. Emerson
DateJuly 6, 1944
MediumPhotography; gelatin silver print on paper
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (image height x width): 7 x 7 5/8in. (17.8 x 19.4cm)
Sheet (height x width): 10 x 8 1/4in. (25.4 x 21cm)
ClassificationsGraphics
Credit LineGift of The Discovery Museum
Object number2003.108.5
DescriptionA man wearing a plaid shirt and cap drives a caterpillar tractor towing a large trailer at the right. The letters "RB" (possibly for "Ringling Brothers") are on the tractor. The number "31" is on the trailer. Other men stand amid debris and smoke 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
