Guardian Fire and Marine Insurance Company Fire Mark
date: label: date made
content: 1867
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 Guardian Fire and Marine Insurance Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania issued this fire mark in 1867.The oval mark is heavily convex with a hollow back, and features a central image of an angel in high relief with the text “Guardian” under the angel. The Guardian Fire and Marine Insurance Company was in operation from 1867 until 1871.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
topic: label: Subject
content: Insurance
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Fire Fighting and Law Enforcement
label: See more items in
content: Cultures & Communities
label: See more items in
content: Advertising
label: See more items in
content: Work
label: See more items in
content: Firefighting Collection
label: See more items in
content: Fire Marks
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: 2005.0233.0464
label: accession number
content: 2005.0233
label: catalog number
content: 2005.0233.0464
objectType: label: Object Name
content: fire mark
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: cast iron (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 9 in x 11 13/16 in; 22.86 cm x 30.00375 cm