Burning of the City Hall New York, on the night of the 17th August 185

A hand-colored lithograph shows the columned facade of City Hall in New York lit by roaring orange flames and billowing black smoke at night. A dense crowd of spectators in dark clothing fills the street in front, while fire escapes and windows glow along the building.

Look closer: Small signature lettering in the lower-left corner names the publisher.

Artist

Currier & Ives

Date

1858

Medium

Hand-colored lithograph

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

3583 × 2600 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bequest of Adele S. Colgate, 1962