The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

Firehouse

1975–77

Jill Freedman

(American, 1939–2019)
America
gelatin silver print
Image: 27.9 x 35.6 cm (11 x 14 in.)
Gift of Carl and Joan Schneider 2021.226
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Photographer Jill Freedman wrote, “Like most kids, I wanted to be a fireman. I guess I forgot about it when I found out I was a girl.”

Description

Decades later, still a greater admirer of firefighters, she was determined to reveal truths about this hazardous and noble profession. For a year, Freedman spent six days and nights per week at a New York City firehouse, sleeping in the back seat of the Chief’s car because women weren’t allowed in the dormitories in the 1970s. The result was a series of photographs that reflect the tedium, terror, and sacrifices of life as a firefighter.
  • ?-2021
    Carl and Joan Schneider, Whitmore Lake, MI
    December 6, 2021
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=Firehouse|url=false|author=Jill Freedman|year=1975–77|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2021.226