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for William H. Mortensen and the Hartford Circus Fire
William H. Mortensen and the Hartford Circus Fire
SubjectPortrait of
William H. Mortensen
American, 1903 - 1990
PhotographerPhotographed by
Unknown
Date1944-1945
MediumPhotography; gelatin silver prints on paper
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (image height x width): 7 3/4 x 9 3/4in. (19.7 x 24.8cm) and smaller
Sheet (height x width): 8 x 10 1/8in. (20.3 x 25.7cm) and smaller
Sheet (height x width): 8 x 10 1/8in. (20.3 x 25.7cm) and smaller
ClassificationsGraphics
Credit LineGift of Trice D. Mortensen
DescriptionOne photograph is of a group of men and a woman standing outside at a funeral. A tree is in the background. The group includes William H. Mortensen, mayor of Hartford, and his wife, Alice. The other photograph is an interior view. A little girl holding a stuffed animal is being presented with flowers by a man, William H. Mortensen; a woman, his wife Alice, is looking on. There is a brick fireplace in the background.
Object number2002.87.179-.180
Inscribed(.179) On verso: in ink, "at the / Burial of Circus Fire unknown / buried by WHM & Alice / as if family"; in pencil, "July 1944".(.180) On verso: in pencil, "Easter following / Circus Fire - / 1945"; in ink, "little victim".NotesSubject Note: The Hartford Circus Fire took place in Hartford, Connecticut, on the afternoon of 6 July 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.
Subject Terms
On View
Not on view