The Fire Of July 19, 1845 -- The View At Bowling Green

The Fire Of July 19, 1845 -- The View At Bowling Green

Nathaniel Currier's lithograph titled "The Fire of July 19, 1845 -- The View At Bowling Green" depicts the spread of a massive fire in downtown New York City. The blazing fire, beginning just at dawn on Saturday, July 19, 1845, erupted into a massive explosion after coming in contact with a shipment of saltpeter at a warehouse down the street. Currier's lithograph portrays the calm fountain in Bowling Green as uncontrollable flames spread wildly around it. Just as Currier's lithograph demonstrates a peaceful object in the midst of chaos, Lydia Marie Child describes the tranquil essence of New York City's fountains in Letters from New-York. We can utilize "The Fire of July 19, 1845" to better understand Child's appreciation of the simple, angelic fountains of New York at a time when the city was experiencing unprecedented and rapid growth.

Nathaniel Currier

Art and Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. "The Fire Of July 19, 1845 -- The View At Bowling Green." The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1882. http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e0-ce51-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

New York Public Library

1845, 1882

Shannon Ferrara, Jean Lee Cole

Lithograph