Firefighter Protective Mask from Around 1900

Exhibit of the Month 6 / 2023

A leather sewn firefighter breathing mask (respiratory device) was manufactured in the C. B. König factory for firefighting goods (Hamburg-Altona, Germany) around 1900. It is made of black-painted cowhide. The whole piece conceals an interconnected helmet and a leather collar with a hood that covered the neck and part of the shoulders. At the neck, there are remnants of a leather strap that served to tighten the mask. The frames of two hinged rectangular eye openings (glazed) and the top vent on the helmet are made of lightweight metals. Air supply is ensured by a rubber hose wrapped in fabric, which is connected to a metal mouthpiece. On the outside of the mouthpiece, the manufacturer's inscription is stamped: "RESPIRATIONS APPARAT No. C.B.KÖNIG ALTONA HAMBURG".

Masks were an important tool in extinguishing fires in mines. They were especially used by workers of the mining rescue service. Air was pumped into the hoses by bellows. The item likely entered the collections of the old Most museum before 1945. However, the original registration data could not be verified.

Prepared by: Michal Soukup

Conservation of the item: Dagmar Čechová

Photography: Pavel Krásenský

Regional Museum and Gallery in Most; sub-collection 23 – Science, Technology, and Industrial Production, inv. no.: T-00265