Landy Studio Ruins of Chicago, October 8th and 9th, 1871

Mammoth albumen print, printed c. 1871, signed in the negative; signed, titled, dated and annotated in white ink on the mount.

image: 12 x 16 1/4in. (30.5 x 41.3cm.)
mount: 20 1/2 x 27 1/2in. (52.1 x 69.8cm.)
The Estate of Jacob Levin

Burning from Sunday, October 8 to the morning of Tuesday, October 10, 1871, the Great Chicago Fire killed an estimated 200-300 people and destroyed more than three square miles of the city. The disaster rendered 100,000 people (a third of the city's population) homeless.

Landy's historic photograph, taken immediately afterwards, looks north across what is now the Loop and identifies the following landmarks, all severely damaged by the blaze:

1. Biglow House
2. Scott & Munn
3. St. Paul's
4. Post Office
5. Court House
6. Tribune Building
7. First National Bank
8. Old Tremont House
9. Trinity Church
Under the headline "Fire! Fire! Fire!" the photograph appeared in the October 6 1996 issue of the Chicago Tribune.