I am in charge of a fire museum in Newton, NJ. On the front of one of
our antique hose carriages, there is a beautiful painting of a nude
woman standing near a lake surrounded by mountains and trees. We are
often asked what the painting symbolizes, but we don't really know.
One of our visitors thought that she had seen it or something very
similar before, and thought that it might be a symbolic greek
painting. The cart belonged to the Kittatinny Hose and Ladder Co. No
1, which I believe has something to do with the "Kit-a-ting" in the
painting. Two pictures of the cart...
http://www.newtonfiremuseum.org/kittcart.jpg
http://www.newtonfiremuseum.org/front.jpg
There is a scrape on the painting which happened at a fire scene many years ago.

I'd like to know what the meaning of this painting is, or where it
originates. Also if possible, the meaning of the "kit-a-ting".
Information relative to this cart in particular (hey, you never know)
would be appreciated.

Hi,
Yes, a very nice picture to have around the firehouse in the days
before "cheesecake" calendars came into fashion.  I  - no expert - 
suspect that she was just that, tasteful enough to pass the town
council's purchasing committee, but maybe instrumental in the
firechief's choosing that maker's hose carriage.

I could go into a whole song and dance about her (all invented, of
course):  how the firemen gave her a nickname and some of their double
entendre comments about her in relation to their work,  but I don't
expect you want that (and I just see  one we both used already).  If
you do want that, the present firemen in town should be able to help.

Maybe someone can suggest a Greek goddess who was said to be able to
raise the water or bring down the rain, a patroness to inspire the
firemen.

I keep wanting to call her "Gloria", which happens to be the name of
the major European maker of fire extinguishers, but the firm was
founded only in 1945.

Is that not a pic of Kittating Mountain?
http://www.eastman.org/fm/st05/htmlsrc/m198188660002_ful.html#topofimage

There was a Steamboat Kittating too:
http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/pa/bucks/history/local/davis/davis55.txt

Info on Kittating here:
://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&hs=CN8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=kittanning+pennsylvania&spell=1

According to wiki Kittitinny means Endless Mountain in the Lenape
Native American language.

Using the dictionary here : 
http://www.talk-lenape.com/search.php?ls=english&q=mountain&_e=m

Gives kitahtėne as the result for 'mountain'

Yes, CH, that looks good.  Here is another image:
http://www.unc.edu/~echoate/highestlowest/gardenstatecrisscrossing.html

Scroll down till you find it.

The picture might have been "officially" labeled:  "The Lady of the Lake",
which would have provided a literary context that excused her state of undress.