NEW YORK, MID-19TH CENTURY

According to a note dated July 20, 1934, sent to Mrs. Blair from Grace Mayer, then Director of the Museum of the City of New York, this goose-neck "Liberty Fire Engine" model, marked "November 3, 1843" was exhibited at the Museum with accompanying label stating: "This type of hand operated engine was used by the Volunteer Fire Department of New York from about 1825 until the adoption of the steam engine in the Sixties." As Mayer cites in the letter, this model is likely to have belonged to fire engine company #50, originally named "Lone Star," but later referred to as "Liberty Engine Company," although it is possible that the year "1843" refers to the year the engine was manufactured, rather than the date the model was made. Advertised by Joe Kindig, Jr., in The Magazine Antiques, this piece engendered a flurry of requests in Mrs. Blair's files, as prospective buyers and institutions were eager to acquire and exhibit such a rare model.