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Alligator – Horse of Iron February 20, 2018 Claudia Pfeiffer, George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Curator of Art

“‘The Winnah’ Alligator – Horse of Iron” was the inscription that sporting artist and illustrator Paul Brown chose to describe Alligator, the bay gelding that he noted won not one, not two, not three, but an unbelievable FOUR steeplechases a�ter various jockeys fell and remounted. The 1928 West Hills Plate, 1929 Maryland Cup, 1930 International Cup at Grasslands, and the Millbrook Hunt Steeplechase are annotated in the lower margin of one of Brown’s illustrations for his book, Ups and Downs (1936). The artist sketched some of Alligator’s gravity-defying crashes and wins for the book as well as his earlier publication, Spills and Thrills (1933), and his captions present entertaining and informative details.

next day’s article in The Brooklyn Daily Eagle.

Alligator won the thirty-first running of the Meadow Brook Cup with Lyman Wright up in 1929 without a fall.

Brown’s exquisite illustration of the race held on sportsman F. Ambrose Clark’s estate captures a pivotal moment described in an article in the September 29, 1929: issue of The Baltimore Sun: “…Hackenthorpe stayed with his rivals three-quarters of the way, but when the famous stone wall appeared again Hackenthorpe did not have enough left to get over and the race was left to Alligator and Reel Foot.”

Brown did not illustrate Alligator’s famed April 1929 Maryland Hunt Cup win in his books, but the wife of the horse’s trainer Harry Plumb found it worthy of a poetic tribute. Plumb was also the father of one of Alligator’s jockeys, Charles T. Plumb:*

From out the ruck / Of many a name, / “Alligator” / He raced to fame.

The Maryland Hunt! / The ‘CUP’ the prize: / “They’re off” the cry, / And then, surprise….

At number-two fence, / That timbered rail, / Alligator fell: / “Too bad” they wail.

But ‘blood’ will not tell / In man or beast. / And fame is made /At racing feast….

For quick as a flash / From starting gun, / Alligator’s up…./ And starts to run.

The ‘field’ out there / In front so far: / A Paul Desmond Brown (American, 1893-1958) Dramatic, 1933, pencil and ink on paper.

Inscribed: “Dramatic - I’ll say so - next last fence - Alligator fell - Waverly Star dog tired and hopeless chase / For this great star. went down in the mud too tired to get up - Charlie Plum wiped mud and blood from face But fence by fence, / By hand and ride, / remounted - went on - won. Grasslands 1930.” Donated by Boots Wright in memory of Alligator / In glorious stride Mr. and Mrs. Richard E. Riegel, 2013.

Picks up the loss / And leads them all / He The first race was for the West Hills Plate, the seventh wins the race: / “Hurrah” they call. annual meet held on Long Island on November 10, 1928.

Brown’s drawing shows jockey Frederic C. Thomas She continued with a description of a repeat going over the horse’s head at the first fence, swinging performance by Alligator: underneath its neck, and desperately trying to hold on before losing his grip. “An exhibition of indomitable Then, once more, this / “Thorobred Crack” / Surprised courage was witnessed here this afternoon,” noted the the fans / At Grasslands track: 2

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Paul Desmond Brown (American, 1893-1958) The Hole in the Wall, 1933, pencil and ink on paper, inscribed: “The Hole in the Wall Alligator, Reel Foot, Hackenthorpe - Lyman Wright, Bill Streett, Charlie Cushman up - how they drove for the gap in the 12th Alligator won the race - Reel Foot was 2nd - Hackenthorpe fell.

Meadow Brook Cup 1929” Donated by Boots Wright in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Richard E. Riegel, 2013.

Paul Desmond Brown (American, 1893-1958) Alligator hit 1st, 1933, pencil and ink on paper. Inscribed: Alligator hit 1st - Freddie Thomas started nose dive - caught mounts neck - swung under it - horse stopped - Freddie remounted - and won - West Hills Plate, West Hills 1928. Donated by Boots Wright in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Richard E. Riegel, 2013.

Fencing so clean / With jump and stride. / His praises sung / On every side.

But here, again, / This grand horse fell, / Next fence at last, / Pell-mell! Pell-mell!

Then up again / ‘Tis writ as history, / He galloped on / To cheers and victory.

– “Salute to a Great Horseman” by Elaine T. Plumb, The Chronicle, Dec. 31, 1948 Approximately 8,000 spectators witnessed the running of the grueling first International Cup held at the Grasslands Downs Course, TN, in 1930. Every single one of the seventeen entries either fell or pulled up.

Brown’s sketch shows Alligator falling on his front knees going over the 25th jump and Waverly Star slipping.

“Charlie Plum [sic] wiped mud and blood from face – remounted – went on – won,” wrote Brown in the caption describing the nail-biting ending of the race.

Viewing American sporting artist Franklin Brooke Voss’s serene 1929 portrait of Alligator in light of Paul Brown’s illustrations with the horse’s striking career in mind – is transformative. This is Alligator, “Horse of Iron,” and one of the most hardcore steeplechase horses that ever lived. *Errata: The poem was previously incorrectly attributed to the wife of jockey and Meadowbrook Huntsman Charles T. Plumb.

Franklin Brooke Voss, (American, 1880-1953) Alligator, 1929, oil on canvas, 28 x 36 inches, Gift of the children of Peter Winants, Sr., 2009 For More Visit: www.NationalSporting.org/Blog

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The Elegant Art... of Parting Company with your Horse August 10, 2016 Nicole Stribling, Curator of Permanent Collections

Many of the works of art in the NSLM collection show gallant wins, bucolic scenes, or noble portraits. And some show the slightly less noble side of equestrian sport. Many sporting artists – who were oftentimes equestrians themselves – showed their sense of humor about the inevitable: when a rider parts company with her or his horse. Below are just a few examples from the permanent collection which show riders and their mounts parting ways.

This mural-sized painting by John Ferneley, Sr. (17811860, shows a hunting scene in England’s Melton Mowbray, in the 1830s. The group of huntsmen shown in the foreground have all been identified. However, if you look closely, you can see a fellow in the background (who remains nameless) begrudgingly following behind his horse on foot. (detail) One of the exhibitions that has been at the Museum,

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Picturing English Pastimes: British Sporting Prints at the NSLM, includes several works by artist Henry Thomas Alken (1785-1851). His panorama of the 1818 Epsom Derby features a parade of spectators heading to the races – some of whom can barely control their mounts.

The illustrations of American artist Paul Brown (18931958) are much loved by riders and non-riders alike.

With his published collections of drawings titled Spills and Thrills, Good Luck and Bad, and Ups and Downs, he became famous for capturing crashes and near misses at equestrian events in the 1920s, 30s, and 40s.

Whether you are a 19th century fox hunter, or a 21st century aspiring Olympian, we all end up on the ground occasionally. The artists in our collection like to help remind us of that. Here’s to everyone keeping their feet safely planted in the irons!

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Cecil Aldin (English, 1870-1935), (detail) The Grand National Series: No. 3, Valentine’s Brook, c. 1823, photogravure, Gift of Dr. Laura Jane Schrock

Paul Brown, Happy Landing, 1933, pencil and ink on paper, 8 1/2 x 11 1/4 inches, Gift of Boots Wright in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Richard E. Riegel, 2013 [(c) Paul Brown]. Inscription: Happy Landing - Louis D’Or pecked - slid - scrambled and the boy went out on his mounts neck - Horse recovered with a great forward and upward thrust of his legs and a toss of his head. Up went jockey Harroway - up and off. Llangollen Farms 1932.

Paul Brown, Mistakes and Great Recoveries, 1940, pencil on paper, 9 1/4 x 12 inches, Gift of Boots Wright in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Richard E. Riegel, 2013 [(c) Paul Brown]. Inscription: Mistakes and great recoveries by mounts and men - from Maryland, Virginia and Long Island

John Ferneley, Sr, (British, 1782-1860), (detail) The Hunt in Belvoir Vale, c.1835, oil on canvas, 48 x 133 inches, Gift of Kathryn James Clark in memory of Stephen C. Clark, Jr., 2013 For More Visit: www.NationalSporting.org/Blog

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When Equine Flu Burned Down Boston January 10, 2017 John Connolly, George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Head Librarian

Several months ago, I saw a fascinating column by John Kelly in The Washington Post that looked at an outbreak of equine influenza in 1872. The column looks at the impact on Washington, D.C. and Richmond of “The Great Epizootic,” a massive outbreak that impacted Canada and most of the United States between October and December of that year. Since my desk is less than 30 feet from the NSLM’s collection of 19th Century newspapers, I decided to see if any of our materials could help tell the story.

Two resources were most prominent in our collection on the topic: The Turf, Field and Farm and The Spirit of the Times.

Both were weekly newspapers printed in New York City, but enjoyed a national audience that submitted small columns or letters throughout the paper.

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“The disease appears to be a form of influenza, and is classed by veterinary authorities under three heads, viz., the catarrhal, rheumatic and the gastroerysipelatous forms. The disease, which has made such havoc in the stables of Buffalo, Niagara and [Rochester], is of a catarrhal character, its first noticeable symptoms being a flow of tears from the eyes, a watery discharge from the nose, and general languor, followed by a cough.”

—“The Horse Epidemic,” The Turf, Field and Farm, October 25, 1872.

The papers assert that the disease first broke out in Canada and trailed south quickly, infecting stables across the United States in a matter of days.

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Almost overnight, “The Great Epizootic” became a national crisis. Although most food sources during the era were far more local than today, many other aspects of the economy ground to a halt without a means of transportation. The horse was still the main powerhouse for plowing and carting in rural communities, and by the 1870s, urban travel had quickly become dependent on the horse to pull rail cars and trolleys in the cities.

Even worse, the epidemic was a critical factor in the Great Boston Fire, which broke out on November 9 and destroyed over 750 buildings in twelve hours. The Boston Fire Department’s horses were unable to pull tanks and engines when the fire broke out, forcing the department to respond to the fire with volunteers pushing equipment on foot.

Illustration from Every Man His Own Horse Doctor by George Armitage, 1877. National Sporting Library & Museum. The main symptom of The Great Epizootic was lethargy and weakness.

“The fire departments of London and New York have put out thousands of fires every bit as threatening in the commencement, and in as crowded neighborhoods, as the one at Boston. But at the latter place the sickness of the horses induced the fire companies to draw their own engines, heavy engines, to the fire. Before they reached it and got to work it was beyond their control.”

—“The Horse Epidemic: The Boston Fire,” The Spirit of the Times, November 16, 1872.

The challenges of contemporary American veterinary science were on full display during the crisis as conflicting theories of medicine and contagion resulted in recommendations from sources reliable or otherwise. The editors of The Turf, Field and Farm took a commonsense approach to their advice, endorsing the course of action that history would bear out as correct: give the patient rest, keep her comfortable, and feed her well.

The mortality rate of “The Great Epizootic” is estimated at no higher than 10 percent, but it likely could have been lower were it not for the great economic pressures to resist giving adequate rest. It appears that most casualties were very old, or had been overworked. The reality is sad in retrospect, but we might excuse some of it due to just how important the horse was to everyday life in the 19th Century.

Aftermath of the Great Boston Fire of 1872. Public Works Department photograph collection, Collection 5000.009, City of Boston Archives, Boston, via Wikimedia Commons.

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An ad for Taylor’s Great Compound in the November 16, 1872 issue of The Spirit of the Times. Businesses that lost money for each day a horse was ill were willing to pay well for those who claimed to have “the cure.”

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The Great Eclipse August 15, 2017 John Connolly, George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Head Librarian

Here in Virginia, we were excited at the approach of a total solar eclipse which occurred in North America on August 21, 2017. While everybody was preparing to view this event, we were also reminded of another solar eclipse that left a major mark on the equestrian world.

On April 1, 1764, a solar eclipse occurred in Europe, with the maximum effect best seen in southeastern England and northern France. Viewing conditions were not ideal in London, leading observers to travel to Edinburgh to avoid cloud cover and get the best view. The eclipse began at 9:09 a.m., and continued until 11:53 a.m. Maximum obscuration was reported at 10:24 a.m. During the eclipse, the most valuable and influential horse in history was foaled.

Eclipse was headstrong and temperamental, and the chestnut stallion was renowned for his temper. He was worked constantly to tire him out, and the exercise made him easier to handle. Eclipse was large (sometimes criticized for having a big, unattractive head), and had great endurance for an era when horse racing was done in heats of two and four miles.

The racing career of Eclipse is remarkable, as the horse went undefeated in 18 races over two years. His jockey, Jack Oakley, habitually let Eclipse run as he pleased, and made few attempts to hold him back. After Eclipse’s second victory, he was purchased by Dennis O’Kelly (1725-1787), an adroit horse breeder and bettor who was renowned for winning a bet that placed “Eclipse first,

Illustration of geometric measurements of Eclipse by Charles Vial de Sainbel. From Essai sur les proportions Geometrales de l’Eclipse, 1791, National Sporting Library & Museum.

The horse, who was named Eclipse for his foaling day, was bred by Prince William, Duke of Cumberland (17211765) and son of George II. Eclipse’s dam, Spilletta, was a granddaughter of the Godolphin Arabian, a foundational sire of the Thoroughbred breed.

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the rest nowhere,” meaning no other horse would finish within 240 yards of Eclipse.

After two unbeaten campaigns, Eclipse was retired in large part because of a lack of challengers. It was For More Visit: www.NationalSporting.org/Blog

Daniel Quigley (Irish, 18th Century) The Godolphin Arabian, late 18th Century, oil on canvas, 38 x 48 inches, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection. This piece was view at NSLM as part of The Chronicle of the Horse in Art.

impossible to find better odds against him than 20 to 1, and his value now resided at stud. His stud fee began at 50 guineas, and he went on to become the most successful sire in history, siring 344 winners of more than 158,000 pounds. It’s far easier to list Thoroughbreds that don’t count Eclipse in their background than those that do. It’s estimated that over 95% of Thoroughbreds can trace their pedigrees to Eclipse in the male line.

Eclipse died on February 27, 1789 of a violent colic. Dennis O’Kelly’s nephew Andrew contracted famous veterinary surgeon Charles Vial de Sainbel (1753-1793) to dissect the body. Sainbel wrote a book on Eclipse from his anatomical findings, measuring the horse in geometric relation to the size of his head in order to establish ideal proportions for representation in artwork and selection of animals for breeding. His skeleton is now housed at the Royal Veterinary College in Hertfordshire.

Skeleton of Eclipse. Photo number L0000443, Wellcome Library. Accessed via Wikimedia Commons.

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Miss Charlotte’s Sporting School May 9, 2017 John Connolly, George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Head Librarian

“Mrs. Noland, I hesitate to suggest it, but do you think you might eliminate molasses from the boys’ breakfast?”

Rosalie Noland had welcomed the school headmistress to her home with her typical southern hospitality and grace, but the conversation had taken an unexpected turn.

Mrs. Noland had recently insisted her seven children learn civility and culture, and had brought them to Washington, D. C. for proper schooling. The children were not adjusting to city life well, and they longed to return to their country home in Middleburg, Virginia. Charlotte, the third oldest at age 13, deeply resented being away from her beloved animals and countryside and acting out had become common. But what did that have to do with the boys of the family eating molasses for breakfast?

Charlotte insisted that the teachers didn’t understand her, and that they made the lessons boring and inaccessible.

She began to plot for her own school, a cherished dream that would one day come true.

Charlotte Haxall Noland (1883-1969) spent her childhood leading others (sometimes into mischief) and riding the farm horses around her family home of Burrland. The family reunited with Burrland after two years in the city, and a year later Charlotte went to stay with her aunt in Richmond to make her debut. It was an unqualified success, but upon her return home, the pragmatic Charlotte assessed the ritual as “a lot of fun, but really a waste of time.”

A turning point came when Charlotte went to work. She found employment as the physical education teacher at St. Timothy’s School in Baltimore, and found Charlotte had been that the gym suited The Noland family home, Burrland, in Middleburg, Virginia. From Charlotte Haxall Noland arriving to school her well. She went on 1883-1969, 1970, published by Foxcroft School. National Sporting Library & Museum. late every day. When to teach at Bryn Mawr questioned, she blamed her tardiness on dish-washing School in a similar capacity, refining ideas for her dream duty, claiming that the sticky molasses on the plates preschool. Eventually she enrolled in a summer course in vented a prompt arrival. Unfortunately, that turned out to physical education through the Sargent School at Harvard be a lie. Instead of going to school, Charlotte was sneakwhere she learned the rules and how to officiate a new ing off to a local zoo and helping the zookeeper train and sport known as basketball. feed a raccoon! The story is told in Charlotte’s biography, Charlotte Haxall Noland 1883-1969, published Upon returning to Baltimore, Charlotte set up a gymnain 1970 by Foxcroft School. sium for girls, finding clients from all the surrounding schools. She built up enough capital to open her dream Ultimately, Charlotte was expelled for her truancy, and school, near her hometown of Middleburg. The school over the next two years, the educational struggle conwas named Foxcroft School (Charlotte fell in love with the tinued at other schools in Washington and Baltimore. name when she walked past a family home belonging to 10

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a Major Foxcroft one summer) and opened in 1914. Charlotte had her dream school by age 31.

In many ways, Foxcroft was an expression of Charlotte Noland’s belief in the virtues of sport and physical competition. The school motto is “mens sana in corpore sano” (a healthy mind in a healthy body). Beagling was an early mandatory excursion for all students. A basketball tradition was founded at Foxcroft with an annual Thanksgiving game between the school’s two houses, the Foxes and the Hounds.

Foxcroft students riding to Luray, Virginia. From Charlotte Haxall Noland 1883-1969.

Other sporting traditions began to take shape: the girls were trained in riding (aside or astride) by Miss Charlotte (as she would be called forever afterward) and, with parental approval, be given training on jumping their steeds.

Students spent a weekend each year riding their horses to Luray, Virginia (a round trip of over 100 miles). A Coon Hunt was organized every October, and very soon the school had its own horse show.

the school’s development, she allowed the best riders from among her students to ride with the Middleburg Hunt.

Miss Charlotte’s hunting career eventually came to an end, as she never truly recovered from a bad fall while hunting. She gradually lost the full use of her injured leg, and riding became difficult. Instead, she turned to fishing, spending her retirement in her boat, “The Sea Fox,” and she reportedly caught a 68-pound marlin!

From 1932 to 1946, Miss Charlotte served as Joint Master to the Middleburg Hounds with Daniel Sands. Early in

Miss Charlotte on Van Epps, with the hunt girls. From Charlotte Haxall Noland 1883-1969.

Many of the sporting traditions at the school have continued on, and riding is still a signature program. Today, Foxcroft School is a cornerstone of Virginia’s hunt country and an embodiment of its founder’s vision.

Miss Charlotte on Screwdriver. From Charlotte Haxall Noland 1883-1969.

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Phar Lap is Dead!

June 27, 2017 Erica Libhart, Mars Technical Services Librarian

Phar Lap is Dead! The terrible headline traveled around the globe and plunged Australia into mourning. Why was this headline news? Who was Phar Lap and why were Australians heartbroken by his death? Phar Lap was a thoroughbred race horse with an incredible story. It is the story of an inauspicious beginning, a triumphant rise to fame, and a tragic and mysterious death.

The horse that would be named Phar Lap was born in New Zealand, by Night Raid, out of Entreaty. At the yearling auction at Trentham the chestnut colt was lot 41, the last one of the day. He was large and clumsy, but based on his pedigree alone, Australian trainer Harry Telford wanted him. Telford had convinced American David J. Davis to buy the colt sight unseen. Telford’s brother placed the winning bid, 160 guineas. A better bargain has never been had on a race horse but that fact would not be revealed for some time yet.

successful and Telford decided to have Phar Lap gelded and turned out for a while to mature.

As a two year old, his training got underway in earnest.

The regimen included grueling workouts where Phar Lap carried heavy weights up and down the coastal dunes.

It was in Telford’s stables that Phar Lap would meet and bond with the young strapper Tom Woodcock. Tom fed and cared for the horse, and spent more time with him than any other human being. The two developed a deep friendship and Tom was rarely more than a dozen yards away from Phar Lap for the rest of the horse’s life.

Phar Lap’s racing record is 51 starts for 37 wins, 3 seconds, and 2 thirds, including a streak of 14 consecutive wins between September 1930 and March 1931. The highlight of this series was an impressive three-length win at the Melbourne Cup while carrying the high weight of 138 pounds.

Phar Lap was shipped to Australia to embark on his training and eventual racing career.

When he arrived he was skinny, had developed boils on his face, and was so gangly and clumsy that Davis flat out refused to pay to train him. Telford couldn’t afford to buy the horse from Davis, however they came to a lease arrangement where Telford would feed and train the horse for three years in exchange for two thirds of its winnings. Racing horse Phar Lap at Trentham before his trip to the United States, with his attendant Initial training efforts Tommy Woodcock. Standing nearby are, left to right, Rt. Hon. Joseph Gordon Coates, Oswald Stephen Watkins, David Jones, Brigadier James Hargest and Adam Hamilton. were not very 1931. National Library of New Zealand, accessed via Wikimedia Commons.

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He frequently won by several lengths and preferred to give ground early in a race and then run down the horses ahead of him.

He also frequently carried heavy weight handicaps, although that didn’t seem to bother him except for the 1931 Melbourne Cup race in which he failed to place while carrying 150 pounds, 52 more than the winner of the race. He had incredible stamina and often raced a grueling schedule. In one week in 1930 Phar Lap not

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The announcement of Phar Lap’s death in The Daily Telegraph on April 7, 1932. Source: Museum Victoria.

only won four races in seven days, including the Melbourne Cup, but also survived an assassination attempt.

Someone shot at him from a car on Saturday morning, he raced and won the same day, won the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday, and two other races on Thursday and Saturday.

The public fell in love with Phar Lap. The 1930s were difficult depression years in Australia and the people latched onto the horse’s rise from obscurity to complete domination of the racing world. He was an underdog who succeeded through hard work and heart, overcoming obstacles such as heavy weight handicaps and even an assassination attempt, in his unstoppable rise to the pinnacle of Australian racing. They saw in him traits that they valued as a nation, and they thrilled to see him win.

Having met every challenge available in Australia, Telford and Davis set their sights on conquering American racing.

It was decided that Phar Lap would make the long voyage across the Pacific and arrive in time to participate in the Agua Caliente Handicap on Sunday, March 20, 1932.

He arrived safely on January 15 to great fanfare and spent the next two months getting acclimated. On the day of the race Phar Lap didn’t disappoint. In front of a racecourse For More Visit: www.NationalSporting.org/Blog

packed with 20,000 spectators, he let the pack lead him and then ran them all down effortlessly, winning by two lengths. He broke the track record for the distance while he was at it. Phar Lap was in peak condition and poised to take the American racing circuit by storm. Sixteen days later he was dead.

After the Agua Caliente race, Phar Lap was taken to a breeding farm belonging to Edward D. Perry, near Menlo Park, California. Here he was resting and training as plans were made for his tour of the United States. On the morning of Tuesday, April 5th, Tom Woodcock found Phar Lap in obvious distress. The vet that accompanied the party from Australia was summoned. Initially they thought he was suffering from a colic attack but as his condition rapidly worsened, they began to suspect poisoning. Despite their best efforts, Phar Lap hemorrhaged and died shortly after noon. By 3:30 the news was out. Expressions of shock, disbelief, sadness, and condolence poured in from around the world. How could this have happened?

As it turns out, this question still has not been definitively answered even 85 years later.

The initial autopsy noted that the stomach and intestines were severely inflamed and the lining of the stomach was 13

badly perforated. The speed of death was much faster than one would expect from colic and almost immediately rumors of intentional poisoning began to spread. Multiple agencies and individuals investigated, often reporting contradictory information and results. The possibilities are wide ranging. He may have been poisoned, either intentionally or accidentally. It’s possible that someone wanted to kill Phar Lap, after all he had already been the object of one assassination attempt. Accidental poisoning may have resulted from eating forage that was tainted with insecticide, or through arsenic contained in a tonic.

He may have developed severe bloat, or intestinal tympany, from eating wet alfalfa. Others have suggested colic or colitis x. At a minimum one can say that the case continues to hold the public’s interest. Every few years a new article is published claiming to have definitively solved the mystery. The truth may never be known.

Amazingly, his death is not the end of Phar Lap’s story.

Almost immediately his heart was preserved and given to The Institute of Anatomy in Canberra, where it was

exhibited next to the heart of an army remount horse.

Phar Lap’s 14-pound heart dwarfed that of the remount which weighed only 6 pounds. It can now be seen at the National Museum of Australia.

His skeleton went to The Dominion Museum in Wellington, New Zealand (now called The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa). For five years it was stored in boxes in the basement due to lack of funds to articulate and display it. When a subscription list was opened in the Referee, the money was easily raised in just two weeks. Phar Lap’s bones were assembled and his skeleton was put on display in 1938.

His mounted hide is in The National Museum of Victoria in Melbourne. It is a masterpiece of taxidermy and was completed by Louis, Leslie and John Jonas of Yonkers, New York. Although they had never before prepared a horse, their outstanding workmanship on wild animal exhibits was well known in museums. The exhibit opened in 1933 and remains one of the museum’s most popular.

Through these exhibits Phar Lap’s amazing story survives and continues to inspire those who hear it.

Equus caballus, taxidermied mount of the racehorse Phar Lap. Registration no. C 10726.

Photographer: Benjamin Healley Source: Museums Victoria, Copyright Museums Victoria / CC BY (Licensed as Attribution 4.0 International). Accessed via Wikimedia Commons.

Phar Lap’s heart. From the National Museum of Australia, accessed via Wikimedia Commons.

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When Children Played With Ponies March 21, 2017 John Connolly, George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Head Librarian

Once upon a time, the tiny Virginia town of Middleburg experienced a golden age of enthusiasm for riding and equestrian sport. After “The Great Hound Match of 1905” put Virginia on the map as prime foxhunting country, several hunts began operating in the region and the countryside transformed into an optimal landscape for riding.

Middleburg became a close-knit community in the heart of Hunt Country in the 1920s and 1930s. An excellent firsthand account of Middleburg in this era can be found in The Way It Was: Middleburg in the 1920s and 1930s by Catherine Hulbert Harts (a copy is in the NSLM collection). There really was no age barrier to participation in horse sports: children rode on ponies as soon as they were able to sit up in the saddle.

“Children and Ponies,” Photograph by Dove Hayes. In the Gerald B. Webb, Jr. Archive, National Sporting Library & Museum.

Caption reads: “Left to Right: Polly Baldwin and ‘Merry’; Bobby Baldwin and ‘Star’; Barry Hamilton and ‘Jock’; Jimmy Hamilton and ‘Mountain Music’; Peggy Hamilton and “Gay”; Eve Prime and ‘Spoogie Woogie’; Christie Thompson and ‘Dummie.’”

across country to Rectortown, some five miles away.

A recent donation to the NSLM collection is a British-printed copy of The Hunting Diary and Guide, 1930-31.

The entries were made by a young lady named Jane Walker Stevenson, who rode in and around Middleburg. Jane was eleven years old in 1931, and was quite the accomplished rider, foxhunting with the Orange County Hounds and riding with friends from Foxcroft School.

“I was so mad at Nancy Smith,” writes Jane, “she said she was such a great rider and nonsence [sic] and she fell off on a chicken coop about 3 ft. My! She can boast.”

Jane’s entries are both charming and opinionated.

“Nancy and Barbara Iselin, Louise Dillworth came over on ponies,” she notes in her entry on Friday, March 6, 1931.

“Played hide & seek on ponies. Barby fell off and I was going to lead Atoka over a jump and he pulled away from me twice. Jumped the four ft. post & sail. Atoka knocked the top rail off. Gave horses apples.”

As for Jane Stevenson, her practice at writing evidently paid off. After attending The Hill School in Middleburg, she went on to marry Robinson McIlvane and write for The Washington Times-Herald and Fortune.

The following day, Jane was out with Orange County, starting from the No. 18 School House in Marshall, and cutting

The episode didn’t ruin the day, though. “Lovely Mrs. Filly was out and she *is* lovely. GREAT Day and nice,” she writes.

After her first marriage ended in divorce, she returned to Middleburg, eventually marrying Nelson McClary and she rode again with the Orange County Hounds. She wrote regularly for Middleburg Life and published over a dozen books during her lifetime. After Nelson passed, his son Christopher donated the family’s books to NSLM. Jane’s childhood diary was included in the donation, and we’re pleased to preserve the stories she recorded from the days when children kept pace with some of the best riders in the country.

The Hunting Diary and Guide, 1930-31. National Sporting Library & Museum, gift of Christopher McClary, 2016.

An afternoon of hide-and-seek, misadventures, and apples. In 1931, children played with their ponies in and around Middleburg.

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The Man in the River Hut April 4, 2017 John Connolly, George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Head Librarian

A gunshot rang out on the shores of the River Blythe, shattering the silence of the idyllic English countryside.

Some minutes later, the shotgun blast was followed by another, from the second barrel. Three gentlemen were busy at their craft, but this was no wing shooting party.

Passersby would have been startled to see two gentlemen (one, a man of the cloth) in an eccentric-looking octagonal hut built over the waters of the river, staring through the windows at their quarry as the gunshots went off.

The beast being tracked was a trout, some six inches beneath the surface of the water. The gentlemen in the hut were Rev. Brown and the ringleader who built the hut, Alfred Ronalds.

Ronalds (1802-1860) was conducting comprehensive studies on the habits of trout and grayling, and the shotgun blasts were part of an experiment to determine if fish could hear conversational noises above the water. The experimenters were careful not to be seen by the fish, and many loud noises were tried before finding that the fish showed no signs of distress from the noise.

Ronalds was not a scientist by trade, instead making his living as an etcher and lithographer in 1830s England.

His primary source of leisure was in fly fishing, and in his quest to unlock the secrets of the successful catch, he’d gone as far as the construction of a special shack from which to observe the fishes of the Blythe. From this

Findings on the vision of the trout, detailing differences in vision through water and air. From The Fly-fisherís Entomology, by Alfred Ronalds. Fifth edition, London: Longman, Brown, Green and Longmans, 1856. National Sporting Library & Museum.

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would go through 11 editions between 1836 and 1913 and be extensively reprinted into the 20th Century.

Ronalds went on to relocate to Wales in 1844, and after his wife died in 1847 he moved his family to Australia. He set up his own engraving business in Melbourne, then in Ballarat after the Australian gold rushes in the 1850s. He died of a stroke in 1860. The Fly-fisher’s Entomology was the only book he ever authored, but considering its massive influence on the sport Ronalds loved, we can safely say that it was a great one.

The location of Ronalds’ fishing hut. From The Fly-fisher’s Entomology,

by Alfred Ronalds. Fifth edition, London: Longman, Brown, Green and Longmans, 1856. National Sporting Library & Museum.

headquarters, he carefully noted fish habits and diets, studied their vision, hearing, and even taste (offering foods to fish coated in cayenne pepper and mustard; he found the fish enjoyed the spicy food).

The result of Ronalds’ experimentation was his 1836 book, The Fly-fisher’s Entomology. Drawing on his talents as an engraver and his scientific observations, Ronalds developed an illustrated list of artificial flies and the times of year they should be used.

The real key to Ronalds’ book was combining awareness of the insect life-cycle to a clearer understanding of the feeding habits of fish. If you want to catch a fish, imitate the bugs they eat at the correct time of season. Though this maxim might seem simple today, the book was a wildly-successful turning point in the literature of fly fishing, and Ronald is widely credited with launching modern fly-fishing writing. The Fly-fisher’s Entomology For More Visit: www.NationalSporting.org/Blog

Flies for April: Golden Dun Midge, Sand Fly, Stone Fly. From The Fly-fisher’s Entomology, by Alfred Ronalds. Fifth edition, London: Longman, Brown, Green and Longmans, 1856. National Sporting Library & Museum.

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The Colorful Life of the Yellow Earl April 25, 2017 John Connolly, George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Head Librarian

On a lovely spring day in 1885, two gentlemen sat on their horses near the statue of Achilles by Richard Westmacott in London’s Hyde Park. The gentlemen were well acquainted: Hugh Cecil Lowther, the Fifth Earl of Lonsdale (1857-1944) and Sir George Chetwynd, (18491917) were both sportsmen and moved in similar circles.

Both men were waiting to meet someone: Lillie Langtry, a famous actress, had accidentally agreed to ride with both Hugh and George on the same morning. And in the absence of a graceful way of escaping the predicament, Lillie had simply stayed home.

loved to hunt fox, and spent years as Master of Foxhounds to the Quorn and the Cottesmore hunts. He was instrumental in legalizing and legitimizing the sport of boxing in Britain. He was an enthusiastic patron of horse racing, becoming a senior steward for the Jockey Club.

And for the early portion of his life, he had a knack for generating scandals that dominated newspaper headlines in both England and the United States.

In fact, after a dramatic and highly-publicized scandal involving an affair with actress Violet Cameron (and an alleged attempt at dueling with her estranged husband), Lonsdale went into a temporary, unofficial exile as part of a science expedition to Canada. Trekking across the Yukon, Lonsdale nearly died several times and returned a hero with an extensive collection of Inuit artifacts, now in the collection of the British Museum.

Both men soon discussed their situation and were dismayed to find they were waiting for the same person.

And in short order, both men argued, then came to blows for Lillie’s affections (despite the fact that both men were married and it was widely known that Lillie was the mistress of the Prince of Despite his past, Wales). When their Lord Lonsdale grew horses bolted from increasingly popular, under them, the partly through his The Earl and Countess Lonsdale Arriving From Barleythorpe, With Party for the Hunt gentlemen continued Chases, 1893. Cuthbert Bradley (English, 1861-1943). National Sporting Library & Museum. talent for selftheir fistfight in the promotion and partly dust. It didn’t go well for Lonsdale, as Sir George through his willingness to spend his money freely. He managed to headlock Lonsdale before both men were earned the nickname “The Yellow Earl” for his adoption of separated, bloody and swearing. London was full of the canary yellow as his signature color: his livery, carriages, news of the fight, and to add insult to injury, Queen automobiles, and other accouterments were bright yellow Victoria summoned Lonsdale to personally express her on all occasions. All eyes were on Lonsdale when he displeasure with his conduct. arrived at the races, often to greater applause than the royal family. The “Yellow Earl” moniker would last, The episode was one of many points of scandal in the becoming the title of a 1966 biography of Lonsdale by early life of Lord Lonsdale. Lonsdale was the most colorful Douglas Sutherland. sportsman of his day, and in many ways he represented a call-back to the dashing (and often scandalous) Through the early 20th Century, Lonsdale’s presence in archetype of the 18th Century sporting gentleman. He sport and popular culture was larger than life: a collection 18

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Cumberland coal mines that had produced his family’s wealth) effectively destroyed his family fortune. After his death, Hugh’s brother Lancelot, the Sixth Earl of Lonsdale, sold off the remainder of his possessions in the largest English country house sale of the 20th Century.

Lord Lonsdale, Master of the Cottesmore, 1915-21, 1921. Cuthbert Bradley (English, 1861-1943). National Sporting Library & Museum.

of books on sports was branded the Lonsdale Library, he donated the Lonsdale Belt which is still awarded to boxing champions today, and lines of sporting clothing and cigars would end up bearing his name, too. In addition to these, Lonsdale was the founding president for the National Sporting Club, founded the Automobile Association, helped found the Blue Cross, and even served briefly as chairman for the Arsenal soccer club.

In April 1944, Harry Worcester Smith sent an editorial to the New York Times to commemorate Lonsdale on his passing.

Worcester Smith believed he was “the great gentleman of his time.”

Today, a collection of Lord Lonsdale’s sporting books resides in the F. Ambrose Clark Rare Book Room at the National Sporting Library & Museum. The collection was originally assembled by Frederick Henry Huth (1844-1918), and after his death it was acquired by Lonsdale. After the Earl’s death in 1944, the collection was acquired by the Arundel Foundation and donated to NSLM in 1975.

Lord Lonsdale in his arctic gear.

From The Yellow Earl, by Douglas Sutherland. National Sporting Library & Museum.

The book plate of Lord Lonsdale, bearing his coat of arms.

“The Passing of the Earl of Lonsdale, Great Britain’s leading sportsman’s peer, at Oakham, Rutland, at the age of 87 on April 13 brought sadness to many a sportsman’s heart. The writer saw him at his best when hunting in Leicestershire and his Lordship was the Master of the Quorn. His home pack was the Cottesmore and he must have spent twenty or thirty years of his life as a Master of Hounds in that country about Melton Mowbray where hard riding is the rule, not the exception.”

Lonsdale’s extravagant spending (combined with the closure of the A parade of cars at Lowther Castle, 1910. All the cars were painted canary yellow, Lord Lonsdale’s signature color. From The Yellow Earl, by Douglas Sutherland.

National Sporting Library & Museum.

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“Working my way to the bottom:” How a debutante became the first woman farrier in the U.S. October 19, 2015 Anne Marie Barnes, Clarice & Robert H. Smith Educator

Ada Gates Patton is one of the most recognizable farriers of our day. She shoed racehorses across the United States for decades with an infectious passion.

With her tenacity and genuine love for the inelegant life of a farrier, it’s easy to imagine her childhood taking place in the wild plains and dramatic mountains of the West, with a blacksmith’s apron and a pocket full of nails. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Ada Gates was born into New York high society, a descendant of industrial businessman Henry Burden, who–coincidentally enough– created the first iron works to mass produce horseshoes.

With a family tree that features Fricks and Vanderbilts, Ada’s early life included riding at her family’s estate and at Foxcroft School in Middleburg, Virginia. She was also a debutante, model and actress who enjoyed the finest things in life.

1984 Olympic games, she was honored with the American Farriers’ Association’s Edward Martin Humanitarian Award in 2008, and has recently been inducted into the American Farriers Hall of Fame.

Ada has also been featured in Time and People magazines, and on What’s My Line and Late Night with David Letterman. Today she owns and operates Harry Patton Horseshoeing Supplies, which was founded by her late husband. She also serves as an equestrian supervisor to the hundreds of horses who march in the Rose Parade.

Left: Ada Gates Patton Below: Ada jumping in Spain.

Right: Ada modeling in the 1960s.

In the early 1970’s, a roadtrip gone awry left Ada in Colorado, where she first took to shoeing out of necessity rather than choice. She was the only female in her Oklahoma horseshoeing school, and the first woman ever to be licensed as a farrier in the United States and first female member of the International Union of Journeyman Horseshoers.

Despite, and maybe because of the opposition she encountered in a male-dominated field, Ada’s love for her craft only grew. She was an equestrian liaison for the 20

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Staff Biographies

Anne Marie Barnes is the Clarice & Robert H. Smith Educator at the National Sporting Library & Museum. Her passion for museum work began shortly after graduation with a Bachelor’s degree in History from James Madison University. Between her experience working at the Fredericksburg Area Museum & Cultural Center and the Washington Heritage Museums, she has done everything from designing summer camps to formulating major fundraisers.

John Connolly has served as the George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Head Librarian at the National Sporting Library & Museum since early 2014. He is responsible for the care of the Library collections, including books, magazines, photographs, diaries, letters, and much more. The NSLM collections span over 350 years of the history of equestrian sport, as well as fly fishing, wing shooting, and other field sports.

Erica Libhart has served as the Mars Technical Services Librarian at the National Sporting Library & Museum since early 2016. The focus of her position is collection services, working to increase accessibility to NSLM’s collection of books, periodicals, and archival materials. The NSLM collections span over 350 years of the history of equestrian sport, as well as fly fishing, wing shooting, and other field sports.

Claudia Pfei�fer has been the George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Curator of Art at the National Sporting Library & Museum since the position was funded by the George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Foundation in 2012. Her primary focus is the research, design, interpretation, writing, and installation of exhibitions.

Nicole Stribling has served as the Curator of Permanent Collections at the NSLM since December 2012. She catalogs and cares for the art collection, which includes paintings, sculpture, works on paper, and decorative arts ranging from the 17th through 21st centuries.

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Drawing Covert: The NSLM Blog Statistics

The National Sporting Library & Museum (NSLM) made its first foray into bringing collections content to an online audience in December 2014 when it launched Drawing Covert: The NSLM Blog on the Wordpress blogging platform.

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