This object was once part of the folk art collection of Elie Nadelman (1882-1946), the avant-garde sculptor. From 1924 to 1934, Nadelman's collection was displayed in his Museum of Folk Arts, located in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. The Historical Society purchased Nadelman's entire collection in 1937.

This condenser case belonged to New York City's Clinton, No. 41 Engine Company, as indicated by the bust of DeWitt Clinton, Governor of New York, and the depiction of Albany (the seat of the state government) in the background. An allegorical figure known as the "Genius of Agriculture" crowns the bust of Clinton with a laurel wreath, while an eagle (another emblem of the American Republic) looks on from the lower left. This case is mentioned in an account of a parade during the Croton Aqueduct celebration of October 14, 1842 where No. 41 was the largest company represented, numbering about 80 members. There, a yellow-painted engine with red and gilt stripes featured a painting on its condenser cover with "a pedestal on which is a bust of DeWitt Clinton, with the Genius of Agriculture crowning him with a wreath of flowers. At the base of the pedestal is an American eagle; on the right, a view of the City of Albany; on the left, a distant view of the Erie Canal" (Sheldon, The Story of the Volunteer Fire Department of the City of New York, 1882, p. 505). DeWitt Clinton, engine no. 41's namesake, was considered to be a father of the Croton Aqueduct and the Croton Reservoir of New York City.

This image features iconography identical to a certificate printed by the newly-formed New York Nautical Institution in commemoration of the Erie Canal in 1825 (see Cadwallader Colden, Memoir [1825], pp. 203-4). A caption for the certificate in Colden's Memoir identifies the scene: "This device is emblematic of Science, Skill, and Benevolence; Science is characterized as an angel, with appropriate instruments, and bending from a cloud she delivers to Neptune a sextant, as the emblem of Naval Skill; Benevolence like a nursing mother, with her attendant circumstances, is seated on a cornucopiae, upon the same cloud with Science. This scene is represented as taking place outside of Sandy Hook; on the right of Neptune, who is seated on his naval car, is Staten Island; in the distant horizon is Sandy Hook Lighthouse; pilot-boats, ships outward and inward bound are placed under their appropriate positions." (Colden, p. 375-6) Because the number associated with inscription at the lower center of the condenser case has been largely effaced, it is unclear to which Engine company this case belonged. The combination of the Neptune imagery and the case's date plausibly links it to three different fire companies: New York's Company No. 9, Neptune, No. 6, and Hudson No. 1.

Carved wooden tobacco shop figures were mass-produced in the U.S. in the last half of the 19th century. Individual craftsmen typically worked for manufacturing firms. There were several major manufacturers producing as many as 300 figures a year. The "Scottish Highlander" figure was typically associated with snuff.

This object was once part of the folk art collection of Elie Nadelman (1882-1946), the avant-garde sculptor. From 1924 to 1934, Nadelman's collection was displayed in his Museum of Folk Arts, located in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. The Historical Society purchased Nadelman's entire collection in 1937.

According to the accession records, this condenser case comes from an early fire engine of the Washington Fire Company. The figure on horseback in the center foreground is said to be George Washington.

This object was once part of the folk art collection of Elie Nadelman (1882-1946), the avant-garde sculptor. From 1924 to 1934, Nadelman's collection was displayed in his Museum of Folk Arts, located in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. The Historical Society purchased Nadelman's entire collection in 1937.

This object was once part of the folk art collection of Elie Nadelman (1882-1946), the avant-garde sculptor. From 1924 to 1934, Nadelman's collection was displayed in his Museum of Folk Arts, located in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. The Historical Society purchased Nadelman's entire collection in 1937.

The original patent (April 3, 1883) was assigned to J. & E. Stevens Co. in December 1884, with the agreement that the designer obtain a design patent. The design patent was issued to Edward L. Morris on June 2, 1885. (See Publications)

This object was once part of the folk art collection of Elie Nadelman (1882-1946), the avant-garde sculptor. From 1924 to 1934, Nadelman's collection was displayed in his Museum of Folk Arts, located in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. The Historical Society purchased Nadelman's entire collection in 1937.