Description:
Cast iron fire mark in the shape of four clasped hands nailed to a shield-shaped pine base that has traces of blue-grey paint. Fire marks, usually made of metal, were displayed on the side of the a building to indicate with which insurer the building was insured so that the insurer's fire brigade would extinguish the fire. Mutual insurance began in London, England, in 1696, with the formation of "Contributors for Insuring Houses, Chambers or Rooms by Fire by Amicable Contributionship", which became known as the "Amicable Contributionship" or "Hand-in-Hand", a reference to the organization's fire mark, one hand clasping another hand, reflecting aid and assistance. After starting a volunteer fire fighting association in 1735 called the Union Fire Company where he first used the phrase, "An ounze of prevention is worth a pound of cure," Benjamin Franklin determined that a plan of insurance was needed to compensate for fire damages. In 1752, he formed "The Philadelphia Contributionship for the Insurance of Houses from Loss by Fire", patterned on the "Amicable Contributionship", with which Franklin was probably familiar from his time in London as a jouneyman printer; he also chose the same fire mark with the two clasped hands as seen on this example. There is an old ink-written paper label on the back.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+1717 |
