I love this picture: The action! The excitement! I don’t have a lot of information about the photograph, beyond that it was taken in 1900 in New York City. If you’ve seen Gangs of New York, Butcher Bill rides up on fire engine similar to this one early in the film.

One thing that strikes me as unusual is that three horses are pulling the fire engine. Have you ever seen three horses pulling a vehicle? A stagecoach may have four or six horses pulling it, but the horses are always in pairs. I’ve never seen a trio of horses pulling one vehicle. I wonder if there was some symbolism or tradition associated with having all white horses—it makes for a dramatic spectacle.

Quick side trip: Dalmatians are also eye-catching animals that are associated with fire departments. I found an interesting article that outlined why Dalmatians are fire dogs. Some of the reasons are the dog breed’s qualities, like bravery and speed. But they’re also particular friends of horses. Firemen quickly discovered that Dalmatians were fast and they could clear the streets by running in advance of the fire engines. Horses often got nervous when they were near fires, but the dogs’ presence was soothing to them. If the horses needed to stay awake, the Dalmatians would nip at their heels. Another curious feature is that Dalmatians have poor hearing. There’s no direct link to their role as fire dogs but perhaps they are unfazed by bells, whistles, and sirens that might upset other dogs.