Fire Engine Plate, "Howard and Davis"
date: label: date made
content: ca 1852
name: label: maker
content: Howard & Davis
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: At the core of any fire company is the apparatus used to fight fires and protect lives. This was particularly true of for the volunteer fire fighters in 19th century America. Often purchased with their own funds, their fire engines were the focus of their pride and affection, as well as their identities as fire fighters. Engine plates, often made of brass, would be prominently affixed to engines and inscribed with the company name, number, and founding date. Engine plates could pass from old engine to new, or be kept in the firehouse as a memorial to a departed apparatus.
label: Description (Brief)
content: This brass maker’s plate was attached to a handtub fire engine made by Howard and Davis of Boston, Massachusetts around 1852. The company was primarily known for manufacturing clocks, but also made fire engines from 1842 to 1857.The rectangular brass plate is engraved with the text “HOWARD & DAVIS/BOSTON/1852” which is mounted on a wooden plaque. The lower right corner of the plate has been chipped off.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Massachusetts, Boston
topic: label: Subject
content: Fire Fighting
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: Work
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content: Firefighting Collection
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content: Fire Engine Plates
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: 2005.0233.0943
label: accession number
content: 2005.0233
label: catalog number
content: 2005.0233.0943
objectType: label: Object Name
content: plate, fire engine
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: brass (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 6 3/4 in x 4 in; 17.145 cm x 10.16 cm
label: Measurements
content: part: brass plate: 5 1/2 in x 2 3/4 in; 13.97 cm x 6.985 cm