Books & Manuscripts, including Americana

6 x 5 1/2 in. albumen print featuring a scene after a painting by L.V.H. Crosby showing Mrs. O'Leary's cow, a legendary figure blamed for starting the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 by kicking over a lantern. Title and publication information printed in lower margin of mount. Matted and housed in 16 x 19 in. frame (even toning, small imperfection near upper margin of mount, not examined outside frame).

[With]: Hine, Charles Cole. Mrs. O'Leary's Cow, A Legend of Chicago. New York: The Insurance Monitor, 1872. 8vo. Original printed wrappers (tape repairs to inner cover, central vertical fold, some losses to covers).

[With]: [Matson, Anna]. The City That A Cow Kicked Over. Chicago: A.H. Andrews & Co., [1881]. Original printed wrappers (toning, minor soiling, some chipping along extremities).

[With]: 10 stereoviews showing the O'Leary house from various angles, as well as examples of the same artistic rendering of Mrs. O'Leary's cow. Photographers/publishers include Shaw, Abbott, Hart & Anderson, and McLeish & Cressey (images in varying conditions, though most feature toning and spotting, with wear to mount edges and corners).

[With]: A group of ephemera relating to Mrs. O'Leary's cow including a later CDV of the Crosby print; a centennial souvenir button, ca. 1903; a flyer promoting the exhibition of Mrs. O'Leary's cow bell at Lamb's Wholesale in Payne, Ohio, ca 1936; a framed modern print purportedly of Mrs. O'Leary's barn, measuring 15 x 13 in.

According to popular legend, the Great Chicago Fire began on the night of 7 October 1871 when a cow owned by Catherine O'Leary, an Irish immigrant living on the city's south side, kicked over a lantern. Thanks to a very dry season, the fire spread rapidly, eventually consuming a large portion of the city.

The story was first reported by journalist Michael Ahern, who admitted over twenty years later that he'd fabricated the entire thing. Despite his confession, the story remained widely accepted as the cause of the fire. In 1997, the city of Chicago issued a formal proclamation exonerating Mrs. O'Leary of any responsibility for the Great Chicago Fire.