This colored poster print is a bust portrait of an American Indian woman, depicted on the image of a large arrowhead. She is identified as "’Arrowhead,’ Belle of the Tribe.”
Buffalo Bill's Wild West was one of the most successful American variety shows of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The touring production was created by William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody (1846-1917), who promoted his ventures with the help of posters, billboards and other media innovations of the time. Cody was born in Le Claire, Iowa Territory, and lived in Canada before moving with his family to the Kansas Territory. His father was an outspoken opponent of slavery who died following a bloody attack by pro-slavery settlers when Cody was eleven years old. Forced to go to work to support his mother and siblings, he went on to become a buffalo hunter, guide and civilian scout and soon gained a reputation as a daring frontiersman and Indian fighter.
Nicknamed Buffalo Bill, Cody polished that reputation recounting campfire tales that mingled fact, exaggeration and outright fiction. His growing fame inspired a series of dime novels and helped launch Cody on a traveling stage career as the star of frontier melodramas. He had a natural gift for showmanship, a knack for homespun humor, and a western hero’s rugged good looks: he was often photographed holding a rifle and dressed in a buckskin suit with a wide brimmed hat and shoulder length hair. Hoping to expand his appeal to attract more middle-class family audiences, Cody launched his Buffalo Bill's Wild West in 1883. The outdoor variety show featured vignettes from frontier history, sharp shooting demonstrations, and riding stunts, with Buffalo Bill in a starring role as the expert marksman on horseback. He rounded out the cast with an ever widening and more diverse group of performers, including Lakota Sioux Indians, frontier cowboys, Mexican vacqueros, and Argentine gauchos. He added a female performer in 1885—sharpshooter Annie Oakley (born Phoebe Ann Mosey, 1860-1926)— who was so skilled with a gun that she could shoot a dime from between her husband’s thumb and forefinger. After the show expanded to become Buffalo Bill’s Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders in 1893, it also featured European cavalry, Cossacks and Arab horsemen.
The Wild West show toured throughout the United States and Europe. Its success was fueled by popular nostalgia for America’s fading frontier. But the show also flourished as America modernized, relying on train travel and new technologies like electric lighting to reach and entertain audiences. Cody inspired a host of imitators, whose productions were often referred to simply as Buffalo Bill shows.
By the early twentieth century, Buffalo Bill’s heroic image had been tarnished by a scandalous divorce trial, and his show faced growing competition from the fledgling film industry. In 1909 he merged with a former rival, Gordon William Lillie, to create Buffalo Bill’s Wild West and Pawnee Bill’s Great Far East. The Great Far East Show was an ensemble group founded by Gordon William Lillie (1860-1942), nicknamed Pawnee Bill. Born in Illinois, Lillie had worked for the Pawnee Indian Agency and also served as a Pawnee interpreter for Buffalo Bill's Wild West. The combined production, sometimes called the “Two Bills Show,” featured traditional frontier acts with more exotic attractions like elephants, camels, and belly dancers. Mounting debt and a series of bad investments eventually forced Buffalo Bill to declare bankruptcy and shut down the show in 1915. When he died in 1917 in Denver, Colorado, his passing was noted by prominent figures ranging from European royalty to U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. The town of Cody, Wyoming, which he helped found in 1896, is the site of a museum complex called the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.
This chromolithograph was produced by Strobridge Lithographing Company. The Strobridge firm was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio ca 1847 by lithographer Elijah J. Middleton (cited in some sources as Elijah C. Middleton). Middleton was known as one of the pioneers of chromolithography in the United States. By 1854 another lithographer, W. R. Wallace, along with the bookseller Hines Strobridge (1823-1909) had joined the firm as partners. After the Civil War, Strobridge acquired sole ownership of the company and renamed it after himself. Strobridge and Company became especially well known for circus, theater, and movie posters. After leaving the company, Elijah Middleton established a reputation as a portrait publisher, producing prints of George and Martha Washington, Daniel Webster, and other American historical figures.
Color print of a bay trotting horse (Hambeltonian) standing in a stable with wood floor. A man with a long white beard (William M. Rysdyk) stands in front of him. "Hambeltonian" is written on a blanket on the floor beside him.
Description
A color print of a bay trotting stallion with powerful chest muscles and a narrow sensitive face standing in his finely built stable. It has a plank floor, plastered walls, and built-in water and hay troughs. His owner is a middle-aged man with a long, white beard, wearing stylish informal dress of a maroon sport jacket and white pants, and he is smoking a cigar.
Hambletonian was bred in Sugar Loaf, NY on May 5, 1849 by Jonas Seely. He was registered as Hambletonian 10 but commonly known as Rysdyk’s Hambletonian, named after the British thoroughbred of the same name. His dam was the Charles Kent Mare, or “Kent Mare”, a descendant of the Norfolk Trotter breed known for its smooth gate; and his sire, Abdullah was known for being both mean and ugly, and had been bought for only $5. Nevertheless, William Rysdyk, one of the farm hands, purchased Hambletonian for $125. Hambletonian’s unusual build allowed for his long hind legs that were the key to his success, providing more length for every push. His first race took place at the Orange County Fair in Goshen, NY and immediately stirred public attention for his appearance and his competition with his half-brother Abdallah Chief. The rivalry was finally settled in 1852 at the Union Course on Long Island when Hambletonian trotted the mile in 2:48 ¼ seconds, a full seven seconds before Abdallah Chief. Rysdyk put Hambletonian to stud for the first time at age two, when he mated with four mares for $25 a mating. During the height of his career, Hambletonian earned $500 per mating, and his Rysdyk’s total stud earnings came to $200,000. Hambletonian fathered 1,331 foals with 1,900 mares by the end of his life on March 27, 1876, and at least 40 of his progeny were able to trot the mile in less than 2:30. Hambletonian’s blood runs through most of today’s Standardbred trotters and several Morgans, earning him the title of “Father of the American Trotter.” He was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame as an “Immortal” in 1953 and the prestigious harness race, the Hambletonian Stakes, is named after him.
Henry C. Eno was a New York City lithographer and publisher, operating under his own name between 1863-1869, and as the firm Thomas and Eno (a partnership with Henry A. Thomas) prior to that from 1862-1864. Eno was born in Connecticut in 1828, and was married to Caroline Eno. He left New York City for Orangetown, Rockland, New York where he died in the early 1900’s.
In the years following Lincoln’s assassination, lithographic prints depicting the Lincoln family became popular among the Northern American public, often produced as commemoratives during anniversary celebrations. Since the family never sat for a formal portrait, artists relied on earlier photographs of its members to create their compositions, portraying the family members as they would have appeared at the start of Lincoln’s presidency. This hand-colored print produced probably after the war, depicts the Lincolns seated around a table in a parlor room. On the right, Abraham Lincoln and his son Willie (who died in 1862) read from a large book on the President’s lap. On the left, Mary Todd Lincoln gazes out of the print as she holds the youngest Lincoln son, Tad. Robert Lincoln sits between his parents, next to a vase of flowers, resting his hand on a book placed on the table. To the right of Lincoln, a classical column represents the pillar of state, signifying Lincoln as a republican statesman. A small toy cannon in the lower left corner of the image is the only reference to the war that dominated Lincoln’s Presidency.
The lithograph was created by Hartford, Connecticut firm of E.C. Kellogg & Company, established in 1850, by Elijah Chapman Kellogg (1811–1881), after the dissolution of Kelloggs & Comstock. The business operated until Elijah again partnered with his brother, Edmund Burke Kellogg (1809-1872), changing the company name back to E.B. & E.C. Kellogg. The work was co-published by Thayer & Company, a lithography firm operated by Horace Thayer, who was born in 1811, in Hartwick, New York. Between 1846 and 1847, he was a partner in Kelloggs & Thayer in New York City. The partnership dissolved in 1847 and Thayer moved to Buffalo, New York, and became a map publisher. In Buffalo, he was involved in a variety of partnerships, most of which co-published Kelloggs prints. By 1859, he returned to New York City, remaining there until 1864, when he moved back to upstate New York.
The co-publisher and print distributor is Frank P. Whiting and he worked at the Fulton Street addressfrom 1863-1867.
A color print of an advertising poster. The scene is a race track in front of a judge’s stand. The winning horse, still hitched to his sulky and driver, is getting a blanket thrown over his back. Other horses covered in blankets are being led away. Men push the sulkys. The driver of the winning horse gestures to the judges in the stand with his whip. The spectators are dressed in sporty suits and converse on the track in groups of three or four. The surrounding area has wooded hills.
Worth was a noted comic and genre artist. He was born in February of 1834 in New York City. He sold his first comic sketch to Nathaniel Currier in 1855 and later became one of the most popular of the artists whose work was lithographed by Currier and Ives. Though best known for his comics he also did make may racing scenes. He lived for many years on Long Island, though eventually he moved to Staten Island. Worth died in 1917.
Color print depicting one large and three small town views. The main view is a panorama of a city beside a river with two covered bridges connecting it to a grassy area in the foreground. Sailing vessels and a steamboat are on the river to the left. The tree smaller views along the bottom of the print depict a factory beside a falls (Norwich Falls), a rural town (Norwich Town) and a factory complex on a river (Greenville, Norwich).
A color print of a race in progress on a track. Three horses take the lead and their jockeys urge them on with whips. The jockeys wear colorful jackets and caps, white breeches, and high boots. The grandstands consist of a two story veranda. The roof has three transverse gables decorated with Bavarian “fachwerk.” An overflow of spectators lines the fence and the extension of the lower level balcony without a cover. The judges’ stand has a cupola roof. A wooded area is in the background.
The Sheepshead Bay Race Track was built at the Coney Island Jockey Club in 1880 in Sheepshead, New York, spurred on by the laying of the Long Island Railroad. Leonard Jerome and William Kissam Vanderbilt sponsored the building of the new track, which contained both a dirt and turf course. Sheepshead ran the first Futurity Stakes on Labor Day 1888 and it was won by Proctor Knott for a purse of $41,675, the most expensive race at the time. It was the largest crowd to attend Sheepshead, and approximately one-fourth of the crowd was reported to be women. This race is still running, although it has moved to Belmont Park. It is open to two-year-old horses and raced on dirt over a distance of seven furlongs. Until 1957, the horses had to be nominated for the race before their birth.
Maurer was born in 1832 in Biebrich-on-the Rhine in Germany, the eldest of five children. He loved to draw in his spare time and was apprenticed to a lithographer for a brief period of time. He then assisted his father as a cabinetmaker. He studied art at Mayence, and in 1851 he emigrated with his parents to America where he immediately went to work as a woodcarver. A friend recommended that he would make more money using his skills as a lithographer, so he applied to several shops before being hired by T. W. Strong at 98 Nassau Street. Later he met Charles Currier, Nathaniel's brother, who recommended that he visit his brother and show him some of his work. Nathaniel was impressed with Maurer and introduced him to Ives who interviewed all new employees. He was immediately hired and put to work in the basement of 152 Nassau Street, where he remained for over eight years.
Maurer excelled at images of horses and sporting subjects and during the eight years he was employed by Currier & Ives, produced over one hundred prints on these subjects, including such icons as the Life of the Fireman series and Preparing for Market. In 1860-1861 he went to work for Major and Knapp and from 1872-1884 he was the head of the commercial lithography firm of Maurer and Heppenheimer. He retired in 1884 and devoted himself to a number of artistic avocations, primarily painting. He lived in NYC until his death in 1932 at the age of 100. He son Alfred Maurer was also a well-known artist in the modernist era, though after the death of his father who he lived with, Alfred committed suicide. The offices of Heppenheimer and Maurer were located at 22 and 24 North William Street in New York City from 1872-1884. Maurer is chiefly known for his prints of horses, caricatures, and the famous Fireman series. At the outbreak of the Civil War he moved to Major and Knapp where he made many famous war prints including “Sherman at Savannah, GA” and “Grant and Lee”.
A black and white print of a black stallion running on a hastily erected race track, pulling a sulky. The rider is in a vest, tight pants, a white shirt, and a Homberg hat. The horse’s neck is disproportionately wide. The center of ring contains two center pole tents with banners which read M…RSHAL and PR…DENT. A judge’s stand is in a circular grandstand with cone-shaped roof and American flag. Spectators line the periphery. The flag in the center of grounds is labeled: US Cr… Society. The scene is the US Agricultural Fair held in West Philadelphia on October 8, 1856.
Sherman Black Hawk was foaled on May 30, 1845 in Bridport, Vermont. He was sired by Black Hawk and Smith Mare, both Morgans, and owned by B.J. Myrick. He was a direct descendent of the founding Sire of the Morgan breed, “Figure” owned by Justin Morgan. At 15.2 hands, Sherman Black Hawk was reputed to be spirited, compact, and well made, and he could trot a mile in 2:40. This enabled him to win first place at both the Vermont State Fair in 1854 and the US Agricultural Fair in Pennsylvania (pictured here) in 1856. The man in the picture is thought to be Hiram Woodruff, a well-known and successful driver of the time. 50,000 attended the race at the 1856 Agricultural Fair in West Philadelphia, PA. Temporary open stands were constructed to seat up to 8,000 people, but people also flooded the infield to watch the main racing attractions.
Color print of a race between three trotting horses; Dexter, pulling one sulky, and Ethan Allen and his mate pulling a second sulky, at Fashion Course, Long Island, on June 21,1867.
Description
A color print of a race in progress between Ethan Allen and a stable mate pulling one sulky and Dexter pulling the other. The team is ahead. The jockeys wear jackets, bow ties, close fitting pants, and caps. A line of trees and billowy clouds against a blue sky are in the background. It takes place at Fashion Course, LI on June 21, 1867.
Dexter was foaled in Walden, Orange County, New York in 1858 by Jonathan Hawkins. His sire was Hambletonian and his dam was Clara. Dexter had four white stockings, which was traditionally considered unlucky in a racing horse, but it was superstition he proved to be worthless. In 1862 he was sold for $400 to George B. Alley, who broke him into racing. In 1863 he was sent to Hiram Woodruff and showed 2:42 pulling a wagon. George Trussel paid $14,000 for him in 1866 and placed him in the hands of Budd Doble. Dexter followed Flora Temple as the world’s premier trotter, dominating races between 1864 and 1867. His fastest time was 2:17 1/2, recorded in Buffalo on August 14, 1867. Following this record, he was purchased by Robert Bonner for $35,000. His versatility made him very desired, as Dexter could trot under saddle, in harness, and hitched to a wagon. Dexter’s main rival was Ethan Allen, and on June 21, 1867 on Long Island he raced Ethan Allen and his mate, Charlotte, F. Dexter lost the race but his performance was still considered impressive since he raced the pair alone. Dexter died in 1888 at thirty years old and was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame as an “Immortal” in 1956,
Ethan Allen was foaled on June 18, 1849 by Joel W.Holcomb of Ticonderoga, NY. He was sired by Vermont Black Hawk, a distant descendant of the thoroughbred Messenger, and birthed by Poll. On the Holcomb farm, he was treated as a family pet, admiration that continued through his public career. Orville S. Roe of Shoreham, Vermont, bought half an interest in the colt, so during his earlier years, he was owned jointly by Holcomb and Roe. That was the beginning of his many owners. In 1862 he was sold to Frank Baker, who, after a time, sold him to Dan Mace and I. D. Walton. In 1866 he was purchased by J. E. Maynard of Boston, who sold him to Eph. Simmons, but afterwards bought him back, and again sold him, November 5th, 1868, to Wesley P. Balch of Boston, who in turn sold him to Col. H. S. Russell of Milton, Massachusetts. Ethan Allen was known for being the most handsome trotter in the races and had one of the longest racing careers, spanning 18 seasons. In 1853 he set the 4-year-old record of 2:36. In 1858 he reduced the stallion record to 2:28 for the mile. The great achievement of his life occurred on June 21, 1867, when, at age eighteen, and hitched with a running mate, he defeated Dexter, at the Fashion Course in Long Island in 2:15, 2:16 and 2:19. He won a total of 33 races, 22 in a single harness. His titles included Champion Trotting Stallion of the World, Champion of the World at Four Years of Age, and Champion of the World to Pole, with a best time of 2:25 ½. Ethan Allen was highly popular at stud, with his fees reaching $500. He produced six under 2:30 trotters. Ethan Allen died at Sprague and Akers Farm, owned by Colonel Amasa in Lawrence Kansas on September 10, 1876 at age 27 and was buried at the entrance of the trotting course in Kansas, with a monument to commemorate his career. Later, his skeleton was exhumed and displayed at the Museum of Natural History in Lawrence. He was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 1999 as an “Immortal.” The popular trotting horse weather vane was based upon his silhouette.
Charlotte F., Ethan Allen’s running mate, was the thoroughbred progeny of Scythian and Sally Polk.
Haskell and Allen’s most memorable productions were their horse prints. A Boston based lithograph publisher, the firm seems to have issued more large folio images than small. Haskell began as a print seller with Haskell and Ripley (1868) but a year later in 1869 he began a partnership with George Allen. In 1873 they moved to 61 Hanover St in Boston where they did well until they went bankrupt in 1878.
Color print of a road in front of a large roadside house filled with horse-drawn carriages. Two of the drivers and teams are identified as Robert Bonner with Goldsmith Maid and William Vanderbilt with Mountain Boy
Description
A color print of a wide lane filled with five horses harnessed to open buggies and sulkies. Some drivers are in elegant sport attire, one is in uniform. Two of the teams are identified as Robert Bonner with Dexter and Goldsmith Maid and William Vanderbilt with Mountain Boy. A young lady wears a red jacket and blue plumed hat. Large roadside house with gingerbread along roof and striped awning at right. White fence borders track and encloses park. Stone bridge spans ravine to the left.
Dexter was foaled in Walden, Orange County, New York in 1858 by Jonathan Hawkins. His sire was Hambletonian and his dam was Clara. Dexter had four white stockings, which was traditionally considered unlucky in a racing horse, but it was superstition he proved to be worthless. In 1862 he was sold for $400 to George B. Alley, who broke him into racing. In 1863 he was sent to Hiram Woodruff and showed 2:42 pulling a wagon. George Trussel paid $14,000 for him in 1866 and placed him in the hands of Budd Doble. Dexter followed Flora Temple as the world’s premier trotter, dominating races between 1864 and 1867. His fastest time was 2:17 1/2, recorded in Buffalo on August 14, 1867. Following this record, he was purchased by Robert Bonner for $35,000. His versatility made him very desired, as Dexter could trot under saddle, in harness, and hitched to a wagon. Dexter’s main rival was Ethan Allen, and on June 21, 1867 on Long Island he raced Ethan Allen and his mate, Charlotte, F. Dexter lost the race but his performance was still considered impressive since he raced the pair alone. Dexter died in 1888 at thirty years old and was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame as an “Immortal” in 1956,
Goldsmith Maid was a Standardbred mare foaled in 1857 in Deckertown, NJ to John B. Decker. She was a descendant of Abdallah on both sides from Old Ab and Alexander’s Abdallah, and inbred on her sire’s side. Maid was lively and refused to be harnessed for the first seven years of her life, but one of Decker’s employees secretly road Maid in racing competitions where she began to gain a good reputation. She was eventually sold to William Tompkins, a harness racer, for $400 dollars but quickly sold for the third time, to Alden Goldsmith, in 1865 because she was becoming dangerous to the drivers. Maid began her formal yet unconventional training at age eight, when trainer William Bodine allowed her to set her own pace. The training worked because in 1865 she won her first trotting race with a time of 2:26 and another in 1868 with a time of 2:21 ½, when she was sold again for $20,000 to Budd Doble. She held the position of top trotting horse, a new “Queen of the Turf” in American for eight years of her thirteen year career. By 1870 she had become so popular she traveled to special matches in her own railroad car. She even shaved three seconds off the record mile time of 2:17 at age 17, not to be beaten until 1878 by a much younger horse, Rarus. By the time of her death in 1885 in Trenton, NJ, Goldsmith Maid had won 92 of 121 races and earned a total of $364,200. A period of national mourning took place after she suddenly passed away. She was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame as an “Immortal” in 1953.
Mountain Boy was bred in 1860 in Orange County, NY from Major Winfield and a mare by Gridleys Roebuck. He was owned by Commodore Vanderbilt and achieved a best time of 2:21 for the mile. He was said to lack wind, and not to be good for a long heat, but is admitted to have the best trotting movement ever witnessed on the Long Island racecourse.
Thomas Kelly, of New York City, was one of the more successful publishers of the period, creating archetypal and idyllic views of all areas of life in America. Kelly's work is distinctive for strong coloring and vivid, forthright compositions.
Equine art was a popular subset of sporting art in 19th century America, and attracted many artists seeking to capture the nostalgia of great sporting achievements. Racehorses were popular subjects for lithographs because they were virtual “celebrities” of their day; top harness racing horses were immediately recognizable to the public. Because lithography could be mass-produced relatively cheaply and replaced much more quickly than paintings with each new crop of winners, so sporting prints became a popular choice of wall decoration in gentlemen clubs and male dominated offices. This form of art can still be seen in taverns and dining clubs. As Harry T. Peters was himself a sportsman, Master of Fox Hounds, and noted equestrian, it is not surprising that this collection would contain so many prints featuring
In North America, trotting began as a favored leisure past-time for rural communities at the end of the 18th century as well as a means of transportation. In the 19th century, the first harness racing tracks were established as the sport became incorporated into county fairs. Early trotting horses were raced under saddle in the same fashion as flat-track thoroughbreds. “Under saddle” racing was said to be faster for trotting horses than when attached to a cart. As practical transportation began to favor sleeker, improved wagons, harness racers moved away from saddle horses and trotters became more popular than thoroughbreds as middle and upper class men engaged in amateur trotting races with their transportation horses. The sport became a “great equalizer” because horses of modest origins became heroes. By the end of the Civil War, harness racing had evolved into a horse pulling a two-wheeled cart, called a sulky, along a mile-long track in less than 2 minutes 30 seconds. The trotting Grand Circuit was founded in 1871 to showcase the best horses in metropolitan areas of the East Coast and then slowly the sport moved inland across the country. The popularity of the sport gave way to new breeding techniques. In 1788, an English thoroughbred named Messenger was brought to America to stand for stud. His offspring were labeled Standardbred horses in 1879, because they are able to meet the “standard” of trotting a mile in 2 minutes 30 seconds, averaging 30 mph. They are shorter and more muscular than thoroughbreds, allowing them to easily move attached to a cart.
Messenger’s great-grandson was the stallion Hambletonian 10, who sired so many foals that nearly every American Standardbred can trace their lineage back to him.
This is a color print of old man with long white beard holding the bridle of the bay stallion Hambletonian. They stand in gravel yard beside a red Dutch stable. The man wears wide pants, a rumpled sports jacket, and a brimmed hat. A mare and colt stand in a grassy meadow in the background, and stable boys lounge in the doorways.
Hambletonian was bred in Sugar Loaf, NY on May 5, 1849 by Jonas Seely. He was registered as Hambletonian 10 but commonly known as Rysdyk’s Hambletonian, named after the British thoroughbred of the same name. His dam was the Charles Kent Mare, or “Kent Mare”, a descendant of the Norfolk Trotter breed known for its smooth gate; and his sire, Abdullah was known for being both mean and ugly, and had been bought for only $5. Nevertheless, William Rysdyk, one of the farm hands, purchased Hambletonian for $125. Hambletonian’s unusual build allowed for his long hind legs that were the key to his success, providing more length for every push. His first race took place at the Orange County Fair in Goshen, NY and immediately stirred public attention for his appearance and his competition with his half-brother Abdallah Chief. The rivalry was finally settled in 1852 at the Union Course on Long Island when Hambletonian trotted the mile in 2:48 ¼ seconds, a full seven seconds before Abdallah Chief. Rysdyk put Hambletonian to stud for the first time at age two, when he mated with four mares for $25 a mating. During the height of his career, Hambletonian earned $500 per mating, and his Rysdyk’s total stud earnings came to $200,000. Hambletonian fathered 1,331 foals with 1,900 mares by the end of his life on March 27, 1876, and at least 40 of his progeny were able to trot the mile in less than 2:30. Hambletonian’s blood runs through most of today’s Standardbred trotters and several Morgans, earning him the title of “Father of the American Trotter.” He was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame as an “Immortal” in 1953 and the prestigious harness race, the Hambletonian Stakes, is named after him.
Black and white print of eight horses on a race track. Four are saddled (Lady Suffolk, Zachary Taylor, Tacony, and Mac) and four pull sulkies (Jack Rossiter, Lady Moscow, Flora Temple and Highland Maid).
Description
A black and white print of eight horses on a race track. Four are saddled (Lady Suffolk, Zachary Taylor, Tacony, and Mac) and four pull sulkies (Jack Rossiter, Lady Moscow, Flora Temple, and Highland Maid). Horses in blankets stand in the grassy area in center of the track. The jockey’s clothes are all close fitting but details in decoration vary. Rolling hills can be seen in the distance.
Lady Suffolk, known as the “Old Gray Mare,” was foaled in 1833 in Smithtown, Suffolk County, Long Island. Her sire was Young Engineer, making her a descendent of the famous thoroughbred Messenger who had founded the Standardbred breed; her dam was Jenny. David Bryant purchased the mare in 1835 and they remained together until 1851. She entered her first race in 1838 ridden by Hiram Woodruff. Lady Suffolk trotted in 161 races between 1838 and 1854, winning 88 of them and earning over $35,000 in purse money. In her prime she traveled through the major cities, appearing from Boston to New Orleans. However, in the last six years of her career, she raced only seven times because harness racing had begun to replace under saddle trotting. In 1843, ridden by Albert Conklin, Lady Suffolk was the first trotter to go the mile in under 2:30, which made her the first “Queen of the Turf.” This feat reduced the 1834 record by almost five seconds, coming in at 2:26 ½. Her popularity was greatly due to William T. Porter, who used his weekly newspaper, The Spirit of the Times, to publicize her exploits. She died in 1855 in Vermont and was eventually inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame as an “Immortal” in 1967.
Zachary Taylor was foaled in 1841 in West Gardiner, ME from Quimby Messenger and a Dr. Stafford Mare. He raced from 1848 to 1856 and won 15 races. His best time was 2:31.
Mac was foaled in 1843 in Canton, ME from Morgan Caesar and a Thomas Record Brown Mare. His best time trotting under saddle was on June 5, 1849 with 2:29 ½.
Jack Rossiter was foaled in 1840 and achieved a best time of 2:28.
Lady Moscow was foaled around 1840 near Quebec. She trotted from 1846 to 1856 and won 30 races. She was on of the first horses to trot two mile sin 5:04. She died 1865, in Addison County, VT.
Flora Temple was foaled in 1845 it Utica, New York, a Standardbred from Loomis Bogus and Madame Temple. By 1961 she had become a racing icon, “Queen of the Turf” and was the second mare, after Lady Suffolk, to trot the mile in under 2:30. Flora lowered the record six times, continually beating her own best times. Flora Temple is the “Bob Tail Nag” of the famous song “Camptown Races” by Stephen Foster. After her death in 1877, she was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 1955 as an “Immortal.”
Joshua Conklin foaled Highland Maid in 1847 in Goshen, NY by Saltram and Roxanna. Although she was a natural pacer, she was the first horse to trot 2:27 in a harness.
Wagner and McGuigan (M’Guigan) was a Philadelphia lithography firm from 1846-1858, founded by partners Thomas S. Wagner, and James McGuigan. This firm was preceded by Pinkerton, Wagner and McGuigan. Thomas Wagner was an active lithographer from 1840-1865. James McGuigan was born in Pennsylvania in 1819 and was active as a lithographer in Philadelphia from 1844-1865. From 1844-1845 he was with the firm of Pinkerton, Wagner and McGuigan. Pinkerton left and the two remaining partners continued on under a new name until 1858.
William H. Rease was born in Pennsylvania circa 1818, and worked in Philadelphia from 1844 to 1860. Rease had offices at 17 South 5th Street from 1844-1854, 97 Chestnut Street from 1855-1856, and at the corner of 4th and Chestnut Streets 1857-1860.
Robert A. Clarke was born in 1917, in Ireland. He settled in New York City in 1843. He exhibited work many times at the National Academy and the American Art Union. In 1850 he relocated to Philadelphia where he exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy. In 1874 Clarke and Samuel Maverick formed the Maverick-Clarke Lithograph Company in San Antonio, TX. Robert Clarke was an active artist from 1844-1852 and was noted for his animal paintings.
Color print of a large number of horse-drawn carriages on the road in front of a two-story brick road house (Turner"s Hotel). Eighteen of the horses are numbered and indentified in a key below the image.
Description
A color print of a crowded road in front of a large roadhouse (Turner Hotel, Rape Ferry Rd.) filled with carriages and spirited horses. All of the carriages are occupied by fashionably dressed men. The buggies are without tops – they have flat floors and straight footboards. The roadhouse is in the colonial style. A two story structure stands with a large ring in the rear, three dormer windows above, and a veranda across the front. Here guests stand and watch. Stable boys wait outside the barn in the background. The grounds are well-kept with trees, shrubbery, and picket fences.
Point Breeze Park in Philadelphia was founded in 1855 and raced thoroughbreds for the first time in 1860. It was eventually converted into an automobile race course in the 1900s after trotting faded as a popular sport.
Pharazyn was a Philadelphia lithographer and colorist. He was born 1822 and died in 1902. He had offices at 103 South Street in 1856 and at 1725 Lombard Street in 1870. Made prints for different magazines, as well as fine prints for patrons. Created a large colored folio “Trotting Cracks of Philadelphia Returning from the Race at Point Breeze Park” in 1870. The horses are all named as usual in the subtitle, but the artists name isn’t given; this was normal as the horses were more important than the actual artists.
Considered to be the last formal image of Lincoln from life, this lithograph depicts the President in an ornate White House ballroom. Here, on March 4, 1865 from 8 to 11 P.M., over 6,000 people celebrated the second inauguration of President Lincoln. Prominent guests greeted by Lincoln and the First Lady include Vice President Andrew Johnson, General and Mrs. Grant, Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, Gen. Joseph Hooker, Gen. George Gordon Meade, and Sen. Charles Sumner.
This well-known image was issued as an incentive for subscribers of Frank Leslie’s Chimney Corner Family Newspaper, but could also be purchased separately for $3.00. Frank Leslie (1821-1880) was a British-born publisher and engraver, who produced several newspapers and journals in the mid-19th century. Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper was popular during the Civil War for its detailed battlefield illustrations. This print was copyrighted April 8, 1865, a week prior to Lincoln’s assassination, and was dedicated to the First Lady, Mary Todd Lincoln. As an added incentive, a key indicating the identity of 37 prominent guests was issued in Volume 4 of the paper, although the assassination occurred before that issue appeared. After Lincoln’s death, the great demand for Lincoln images led rival printers to pirate the scene, altering it slightly before publishing it as their own. Lithographer Anton Hohenstein and publisher John Smith titled their controversial copy, “Abraham Lincoln’s Last Reception.”
This print was produced by Sarony, Major, & Knapp. Napoleon Sarony (1821–1896) was born in Quebec and trained under several lithography firms including Currier & Ives and H.R. Robinson. Sarony was also known for his successful experiments in early photography, developing his own cabinet-sized camera. In 1846, he partnered with another former apprentice of Nathaniel Currier, Henry B. Major, and the duo created lithography firm of Sarony & Major. Joseph F. Knapp joined the firm in 1857. Sarony, Major & Knapp earned a solid reputation for lithography and the company was especially known for its fine art chromolithography. Sarony departed the business in the mid-1860s to pursue photography fulltime and by the 1870s, the firm shifted it production from decorative prints to the more profitable field of advertising. It expanded to become the conglomerate known as the American Lithographic Company, which produced calendars, advertising cards, and posters. In 1930, it was bought out by Consolidated Graphics.
