Firefighter photographs capture some of the most harrowing and heroic images of modern times. The image that became most famous after the 9/11 disaster was of firefighters installing an American flag in the wreckage of the World Trade Center. Eerily echoing the image of American soldiers raising the flag at Iwo Jima during WWII, the photo captures devastation and hope within a single image.

Historic Firefighter Photographs

Images like the WTC flag raising have become widely collected. They are available, along with dozens of other firefighter photographs, on the Internet. For those who want to pay their respects in a less somber way, there are the famous firefighter calendars, featuring beefcake shots of shirtless firefighters.

An exhibit at the Campbell Historical Museum in California is displaying a different manner of firefighting photos. The exhibit focuses on local firefighting history, giving a picture of how firefighting evolved in American during the last century or so. In addition to photographs, the exhibit has related newspaper stories on display including one from 1900 that pleads that "all parties to leave ladders belonging to fire dept. in their places...except in case of fire." It seems that people were borrowing fire department equipment for personal use.

Firefighting has long been a subject of intense fascination. Just as people can watch a flickering flame in a fireplace for hours, they can swap stories about fires and firefighting without tiring. These are stories of man verses nature, of civilization verses destruction. Collecting and hanging firefighter photographs is just another way to remain connected to this epic, ongoing tale.