Friday, July 1, 2011

May the 4th be With You

Pyrotechnists is such a great word for people who work with fire.
By that same token, I suppose people who work with type could be called typotechnists?
       I'm not certain if this image is from an ad, poster, or a broadside, but it is curious they advertise their fire works exhibitions can be had on short notice. After some quick googling I learned they once killed a woman at one of their exhibitions in 1856 after a "mis-directed flight of rockets". When asked by a friend how the event went, Sanderson replied "All right, but we killed one woman," as though it was of little consequence. A few months later, the city of Charlestown where the event was held, later settled with the woman's husband for $1000. Soon after, he married again. Well that's a cheery 4th of July story!
       It's the beginning of a long, sunny weekend here. Hope the same for all of you!

:: Sanderson & Lanergan print from the Library of Congress digital archives.

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