Chimney Sweeps

William P. Chappel

1870s · Oil on slate paper · The American Wing

Dirty chimneys posed serious fire hazards. Any resident who neglected theirs risked a hefty fine (twenty-five dollars in 1808). Sweeps—wearing only undergarments and caps—wiggled their way up tight, crooked vents to the chimney tops (note the sweep working in the upper left) and then worked back down, continuously scraping and brushing the soot. The scores of sweeps who performed this brutal task were almost always black boys about ten years old who lived in miserable conditions. Here, Chappel also represents the Cherry Street shops of coppersmith John Wright, tinsmith J. Loyd, and plumber Warren Chardavoyne. The alderman George Buckmaster resided in the brick house at right.

Artist

William P. Chappel

Date

1870s

Medium

Oil on slate paper

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

The Edward W. C. Arnold Collection of New York Prints, Maps, and Pictures, Bequest of Edward W. C. Arnold, 1954