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        Delete Resource - Fairmount Fire Company Fire Hat

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        Smithsonian Learning Lab
        Fairmount Fire Company Fire Hat

        Source

        National Museum of American History

        OBJECT TYPE

        Fire hats

        PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

        painted (overall production method/technique)

        fabric, pressed felt (overall material)

        red (overall color)

        multicolored (painting color)

        gold (decorative trim color)

        paint (overall material)

        MEASUREMENTS

        overall: 14 1/2 in x 5 1/4 in; 36.83 cm x 13.335 cm

        DESCRIPTION

        Beginning in the late 18th century, some volunteer fire fighters began to wear hats painted with their company’s name to identify themselves at chaotic fire scenes. During the 19th century, these fire hats became more ornate, as portraits of historical figures, patriotic scenes, allegorical images, or company icons were painted alongside the company’s name, motto, or founding date. Made of pressed felt, these “stove-pipe” hats were primarily used in Philadelphia, but other nearby cities such as Baltimore and Washington adopted them as well. Fire hats were personal items with the owner’s initials often painted on the top of the hat. While these hats were worn at fires, they are more colloquially known as “parade hats.” Fire companies commonly marched in the many parades of the period and these ornate hats contributed to the visual culture of their day. These distinguishing features in a company’s regalia often proclaimed the members’ cultural and political identity as well as their position on contested topics such as work, religion and immigration.

        This fire hat was used in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during the first half of the 19th century. The hat is painted red overall, with a central image of a fountain with a statue of a woman and long-necked bird in an oval frame flanked by aqua-colored banners with the gold text “Fair Mount.” William Rush created this statue “Nymph and Bittern” to commemorate the completion of the Centre Square Water Works, providing Philadelphia with public water that was a boon to the city’s fire fighters. The back of the hat features an image of a yellow fire hydrant on a brown background inside a golden oval, flanked by the letters “FA” in gold. This was the logo of the Fire Association of Philadelphia, an insurance company founded by a group of eleven volunteer engine companies and five volunteer hose companies in 1817, of which Fairmount was a member. The Fairmount Fire Engine Company No. 32 was founded in 1823 and operated in the Spring Garden area of Philadelphia. Originally organized as a hand engine company, the company acquired a steam fire engine in 1860 and operated as a steam fire engine company until 1871 when Philadelphia’s paid firefighting department was established.

        LOCATION

        Currently not on view

        Currently not on view (labels)

        NAMES

        Shotwell & Garden Rush, William
        maker : Shotwell & Garden
        original artist : Rush, William

        Keywords

        Cultural and Community Life: Fire Fighting and Law Enforcement Cultures & Communities Work Clothing & Accessories Art Fire Hats Firefighting Collection Nymph and Bittern Clothing and dress Dress accessories Fraternal Associations Fire Fighting

        PLACES

        United States Philadelphia Pennsylvania
        place made : United States location of the fountain on the hat : United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

        DATES

        1860s
        date made : 1820-1860


        Additional Resource Information
        Related Publication : McCosker, M.J.. The Historical Collection of the Insurance Company of North America Credit Line : Gift of CIGNA Museum and Art Collection
        Record Id : nmah_1318666
        ID Number : 2005.0233.0036 catalog number : 2005.0233.0036 accession number : 2005.0233


        Record Information
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