Seattle’s Great Fire occurred on June 6, 1889, in a carpenter shop at 1st Avenue and Madison Street. The story goes that a workman, John Back, was melting glue in a pot that boiled over onto the floor, igniting wood shavings and sawdust. The fire quickly grew, and flames swept out through the shop’s open doors and windows, spreading to adjacent buildings, overwhelming any firefighting efforts. This painting offers a unique perspective of the fire with the Territorial University prominently in the center. The artist, B. J. Harnett (1847-1914) was born in England and came to the United States in 1878. A landscape painter, he lived in California, Seattle, Washington, and New York City. Harnett was British Vice-Consul in San Jose, Guatemala, in 1894, and was an officer for the Pacific Mail Steamship Company.