Infant Funeral Procession

William P. Chappel

1870s · Oil on slate paper · The American Wing

In the early nineteenth century, children—especially those living in crowded port cities—died from a host of diseases, including tuberculosis, dysentery, typhoid fever, diphtheria, pneumonia, and yellow fever. The funeral pictured here is being held at the New Methodist Church, with the white picket fence, on Second (now Forsyth) and Bayard Streets. A chain has been stretched across the street to block traffic as eight young women—clad in all white—escort the child’s coffin at the head of the procession. Just to the right of the church stands Fire House 2, which is next to a corner grocery.

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