Object Record
| Object Name | Painting |
| Artist |
Merz, Philip |
| Date | 1893 |
| Title | [Fireboat "The New Yorker"] |
| Description |
Watercolor, gouache, and pen and ink painting on paper, framed with an inscribed mat for presentation. Ship portrait of the fireboat "The New Yorker," by artist Ph. Merz. The painting depicts a steamboat in New York Bay with the Statue of Liberty and a second boat in the background. The ship flies two flags, a United States flag and a blue flag with Maltese cross symbols in red. Waves with whitecaps occupy the foreground. Painting is signed at lower right: "Ph. Merz decb. / 1893. N. York." The mat is decorated with a hand-drawn eagle and shield with ribbon and inscribed: "NEW-YORK / DECB: 11. 1893. / THE FIREBOAT / "THE NEW-YORKER" / PRESENTED TO / WASHINGTON ENGINE COMP: / NO. 1 / BY / WILLIAM C. BRAISTED. " Overall dimensions 21.5 inches high x 27.25 inches wide (including frame). (Keywords: Firefighter, Ship, Firefighting Equipment, NSFD, FDNY) |
| Ownership and History | Washington Engine Co. No. 1, part of Staten Island's North Shore Fire Department, was organized in 1853 and disbanded in 1905. The New Yorker was in service as a New York City fireboat from 1891 until 1931. Its station was at the Battery near Castle Garden, in Manhattan. |
| Earliest Date | 1893 |
| Latest Date | 1893 |
| Subjects |
Fire fighting Marine paintings Boats Fire fighters |
| Lexicon Sub-category | Art |
| Catalog Number | X98.1199 |
| Support Acknowledgment | Online Collections Database record made possible by the Staten Island Historical Society, 2011. |
| Legal Status | Images and text in this database are copyrighted by the Staten Island Historical Society unless otherwise noted. Items represented here are from the collections of the Staten Island Historical Society. Materials reproduced for personal non-commercial use must credit the Staten Island Historical Society. Commercial licensing is available. |