The Burning of Old South Church in Bath, Maine
Maker
John Hilling
(American, 1822 - 1894)
Collections
ClassificationsPAINTINGS
Dateca. 1854
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensionsframe: 21 1/2 x 27 3/8 x 2 1/8 in. (54.6 x 69.5 x 5.4 cm.)
frame opening: 17 1/2 × 23 1/2 in. (44.5 × 59.7 cm.)
DescriptionTwo paintings depicting the Old South church, one as it was previous to the fire, and the other as it was at the time of the fire; framed separately; attributed to artist John Hilling.
Credit LineJonathan and Karin Fielding Collection
Label TextAnti-immigrant sentiment inflamed the United States during the 1850s. The animus was primarily directed toward Irish Catholics, who were migrating in large numbers. On the evening of July 6, 1854, a rabble-rouser by the name of Brown incited a crowd of anti-Catholic sympathizers in Bath, Maine. They grew so agitated that they broke into Old South Church, which had been recently converted from a Congregationalist church to a Catholic one, and set it on fire. The first painting shows the start of the mob's destruction, with objects, being tossed from windows, and the second depicts the structure alight, with a crowd looking on.Status
On viewObject numberL2015.41.177.2
John Hilling
ca. 1854
Object number: L2015.41.177.1
