Penn Insurance Company Fire Mark
date: label: date made
content: 1841
name: label: maker
content: unknown
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: Beginning in the 1750s, some American insurance companies issued metal fire marks to policyholders to signify that their property was insured against fire damage. The fire marks bore the name and/or symbol of the insurer, and some included the customer’s policy number. The company or agent would then affix the mark to the policyholder’s home or business. For owners the mark served as proof of insurance and a deterrent against arson. For insurance companies the mark served as a form of advertising, and alerted volunteer firefighters that the property was insured.
label: Description (Brief)
content: The Penn Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania issued this fire mark in 1841. The mark consists of a two dimensional bust of William Penn cast in relief, who is depicted wearing a tricorne hat, cravat, and jacket. Underneath the bust is a crescent-shaped banner that reads “INSURED” in raised block text. The bust is painted gold, and the text is painted brown. The Penn Insurance Company operated from 1841 until 1845, closing after the great fire in Pittsburgh in April of 1845.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: classified
content: Fire Fighting
label: Subject
content: Insurance
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Fire Fighting and Law Enforcement
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content: Cultures & Communities
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content: Advertising
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content: Work
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content: Firefighting Collection
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content: Fire Marks
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: McCosker, M.J.. The Historical Collection of Insurance Company of North America
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of CIGNA Museum and Art Collection
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2005.0233.0504
label: accession number
content: 2005.0233
label: catalog number
content: 2005.0233.0504
objectType: label: Object Name
content: fire mark
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: cast iron (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 14 1/2 in x 11 1/2 in; 36.83 cm x 29.21 cm