Fire Helmet, "Veteran / Philadelphia"
date: label: date made
content: 19th century
name: label: maker
content: unknown
notes: label: Description
content: The traditional American leather firefighter’s helmet with its distinctive long rear brim, frontpiece, and crest adornment was first developed around 1821-1836 in New York City. Henry T. Gratacap, a New York City luggage maker by trade, is often credited as the developer of this style of fire helmet. Gratacap created a specially treated leather helmet with a segmented “comb” design that led to unparalleled durability and strength. The elongated rear brim (also known as a duckbill or beavertail) and frontpiece were 19th century innovations that remain the most identifiable feature of firefighter’s helmets. The body of the helmet was primarily designed to deflect falling debris, the rear brim prevented water from running down firefighters’ backs, and their sturdy crowns could aid, if necessary, in breaking windows.
label: Description
content: This leather fire helmet dates to the late 19th century. A metal eagle frontpiece holder is mounted to the crown of the helmet, holding a white frontpiece with a central painted image of a double-decker Philadelphia-style fire engine. The top of the frontpiece is missing, but comparison to similar objects reveal that the helmet originally had a black banner with white lettering that read “VETERAN.” The bottom of the frontpiece has a black banner with white lettering that reads “PHILADELPHIA.” The rear brim of the helmet has the golden letters “FA” flanking a gold image of a fire hydrant with attached hose. 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 that would have included the company of this helmet’s owner. The gold ”V” on the back of the helmet’s crown signifies the veteran status of the wearer, and the helmet is painted white to signify that it was worn by a former officer.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Fire Fighting and Law Enforcement
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content: Clothing & Accessories
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content: Work
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content: Firefighting Collection
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content: Fire Helmets
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: 2005.0233.0195
label: accession number
content: 2005.0233
label: catalog number
content: 2005.0233.0195
objectType: label: Object Name
content: helmet, fire
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: leather (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 9 in x 14 1/4 in x 11 in; 22.86 cm x 36.195 cm x 27.94 cm