Comparing the presence of technology, and the human interaction with it, in these two images it becomes clear that Currier and Ives were making a specific decision about who to include in the American progress narrative.
The Life of a Fireman clearly employs technology as a benefice to the public. As the urban landscape began to change drastically during this time with city populations, and the buildings they lived in, both reached new highs. Fire, which had always been a problem, could now be truly devastating. For example the Chicago fire of 1871 left more than 100,000 people without homes. Fire engines became powerful tools, allowing firemen to fight blazes in multi-story buildings more quickly and efficiently. As noted on the previous page, The Life of a Fireman features an all white fire brigade, employing the latest technology in a concentrated and ordered effort. It presents a perfect union of man and machine.
Conversely, in Hook and Ladder Gymnastics a very different technology narrative is imaged.
Instead of reaping the benefits of even the more simplistic pump engine this brigade has, the artist of this print, Thomas Worth, has chosen to picture what at the time was considered a comedy of errors. But Hook and Ladder Gymnastics does more than mock African Americans. The features of the people here are highly caricatured, lowering their human qualities. And in denying them access to the story of American progress, Currier and Ives was defining them as unqualified for full citizenship in the United States. This could have done nothing if not create and reinforce the racist ideology that was rampant at this time.
