|
Certain visual possibilities almost cried out for artistic treatment, none more than the
bird's-eye view of this scene of epic catastrophe. Clockwise from upper left: "The Burning of
Chicago" (Currier & Ives, ca. 1871); "The Destruction of Chicago 8th 9th & 10th of
October 1871 (G.F. Cram, 1871); "Destruction of Chicago by Fire" (Ths. Kelly, New
York, 1871); "Chicago in Flames" (Union Publishing Co., 1872). All of these, especially
"Destruction of Chicago by Fire," in turn resemble the similar view that was published in
Harper's Weekly and is included in the Galleries of the chapter on The Great Conflagration.
An important difference between "Destruction of Chicago by Fire" and the image in
Harper's Weekly, one that also distinguishes it from the Currier & Ives lithograph, is that it
has the smoke and flames headed in the right direction. Above the G.F. Cram version is
the claim, "The first picture published in Chicago after the fire."
|
Arresting Images 