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Burning of the City Hall New York, on the night of the 17th August 1858 – Supposed to have taken fire from the fire works exhibited in commemoration of the successful laying of the Atlantic telegraph cable

Publisher Lithographed and published by Currier & Ives American
1858
Not on view
A fireworks display in 1858 led to the near destruction of New York’s City Hall. The occasion was the laying of the first transatlantic telegraph cable. When the USS Niagara arrived in Brooklyn from Newfoundland, where the cable came ashore in North America, New York responded by illuminating public buildings and shooting pyrotechnics over City Hall Park. Unnoticed sparks penetrated the metal covering of the dome and, by the morning of August 18, the roof was ablaze. Currier & Ives, with offices on nearby Nassau Street, quickly issued this hand-colored lithograph. Unfortunately, the cable itself also experienced problems and failed after three weeks.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Burning of the City Hall New York, on the night of the 17th August 1858 – Supposed to have taken fire from the fire works exhibited in commemoration of the successful laying of the Atlantic telegraph cable
  • Publisher: Lithographed and published by Currier & Ives (American, active New York, 1857–1907)
  • Date: 1858
  • Medium: Hand-colored lithograph
  • Dimensions: Image: 7 7/8 × 12 3/16 in. (20 × 31 cm)
    Sheet: 9 15/16 × 13 7/8 in. (25.2 × 35.2 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Bequest of Adele S. Colgate, 1962
  • Object Number: 63.550.369
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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