Case Study: Life of an American Fireman

Life of an American Fireman is a motion picture produced in 1902 by the Edison Manufacturing Company. A film catalog of the time described the film to prospective exhibitors in superlative terms as “the strongest motion picture attraction ever attempted,” showing “every movement of the brave firemen and their perfectly trained horses from the moment the men leap from their beds in response to an alarm until the fire is extinguished and a woman and child are rescued after many fierce battles with flame and smoke.” The film was one of many popular culture representations evincing a fascination with the heroic figure of the firefighter and the modern process of extinguishing a blaze. From the mechanics of fire alarms, ladders, and hoses to the human, animal, and physical resources deployed in response to a conflagration, the material equipment of firefighting became visual attractions that anchored the story in a recognizable world. This case displays the abundance of print culture produced before, alongside, and after the The Life of an American Fireman including trade cards, stereoviews, and illustrated sheet music. Long before the film, composers such as Philadelphia’s celebrated early Black conductor, Francis (Frank) Johnson, were imagining a soundscape that echoed the drama and danger of the profession.