Fighting a Fire

William P. Chappel

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Between 1800 and 1810, the number of firefighters across the city expanded from 600 to 1,005—a response to the dramatic growth in population and rapid urban development. Most homes and businesses were still made of wood; the bulky manual pump engines had to be dragged to fires by hand; and local water supplies were consistently insufficient. At times the only option left to firefighters and neighbors was to help remove the homeowner’s property, and prevent thieves from stealing it. Before more advanced firefighting technologies emerged in the 1820s, all residents were required by law to own a leather fire bucket for use in water lines, as depicted here.

The American Wing

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The American Wing's ever-evolving collection comprises some 20,000 works of art by African American, Euro American, Latin American, and Native American men and women. Ranging from the colonial to early-modern periods, the holdings include painting, sculpture, works on paper, and decorative arts—including furniture, textiles, ceramics, glass, silver, metalwork, jewelry, basketry, quill and bead embroidery—as well as historical interiors and architectural fragments.

Metropolitan Museum of Art