Dick LaBonté Anchor & Palette Gallery

The New Fire Truck, 1948

One of Dick LaBonte's last paintings, the artist painted this for a fund-raiser for the Bay Head Fire Co., No. 1, of which he was an honorary member. Established in 1911, the Bay Head Fire Company No. 1 has a proud history of volunteers who work day and night to keep the town of Bay Head, and neighboring towns, safe.
Its early equipment was hand-drawn, because horses were skittish and not always handy when needed. Equipment was housed in the back of the Borough Hall, and firemen were summoned by a big ring gong. By the late 1930s Bay Head had an alarm system that included a horn that announced the fire’s location. The fire company became motorized with the purchase of Mabel" in 1916 (see LaBonte’s painting When Mabel Went to Blazes). The 1948 American LaFrance pumper is shown in this painting. In the firehouse bay is the 1926 Hale truck. Borough Hall was later moved to a new building south of the firehouse."

Image size: 8x10.

Giclee print. Limited edition of 100. Unsigned.

$65


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