Print, Photographic

Black and white photographic print of a diorama depicting the burning of the city of Detroit in 1805; the diorama was display in window number 7 of The J.L. Hudson Company department store in 1951. Signage in the right foreground of the window reads, "Detroit Historama, The Complete Burning of Detroit, 1805. The great fire of 1805 completely consumed Detroit. While at the time it was a great catastrophe it later proved to be a benefit as all the makeshift buildings were destroyed and in their place arose the foundations of today's great city. The blaze was started by a careless laborer in the employ of John Harvey, a baker. While harnessing a horse in the stable, loose sparks from his pipe ignited hay and by mid-afternoon the entire village had been to ruin except for one warehouse and a few shipyard buildings. It was at this time that father Gabriel Richard came forth as a God-given leader, effecting rationing of supplies, appealing to Canada for assistance and organizing reconstruction effort." Also, signage in the window's central foreground reads, "You are cordially invited to see 'Detroit Historama's display of many exhibits and merchandise of 250 years, July 23 through August 2, 12th Floor Auditorium, No Admission Charge." The date and photographic sequence number are printed on the bottom of the recto, "7-25-51; 25246-7x."