Artwork Page for Firehouse

Details / Information for Firehouse

Firehouse

1975–77

Jill Freedman

(American, 1939–2019)
Culture
America
Medium
gelatin silver print
Measurements
Image: 27.9 x 35.6 cm (11 x 14 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Carl and Joan Schneider 2021.226
Copyright
Copyright
This artwork is known to be under copyright.
Location
Not on view
Print
?

Did You Know?

Photographer Jill Freedman wrote, “Like most kids, I wanted to be a fireman. I guess I forgot about it when I found out I was a girl.”

Description

Decades later, still a greater admirer of firefighters, she was determined to reveal truths about this hazardous and noble profession. For a year, Freedman spent six days and nights per week at a New York City firehouse, sleeping in the back seat of the Chief’s car because women weren’t allowed in the dormitories in the 1970s. The result was a series of photographs that reflect the tedium, terror, and sacrifices of life as a firefighter.
A horizontally oriented black-and-white photograph depicts a man with medium-light skin tone sitting on a floor against a textured wall. He wears a soot-stained jacket and gloves, holding a helmet in his lap. His face and mustache are smudged with grime as he looks right with wide eyes and parted lips. To the left is an open window with a wire-mesh pane. Strong light highlights the peeling wall behind him.

Firehouse

1975–77

Jill Freedman

(American, 1939–2019)
America

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