Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1894-08-17
HORSE PORTRA1TURE

HORSE PORTRAITURE.
We print this week several reviews of
"The Morgan Horse from very reputa-
BILE authorities.
In the first place, we would acknowl
edge the friendly tone and very evident
intention of fairness of all these. Mr..
Parlin, perhaps the ablest of all the horse
writer's in the country, confines himself
to comment that cannot be criticised.
who writes the editorials of "Clark's
Horse Review we do not know. The
paper is easily one of the ablest of the
horse papers of the country. Mr.. Mcleod,
its former editor, and now, we believe,
connected with the paper as correspond
ent, we think one of our most thoughtful
writers on the breeding problem. The
paper itself has proved its value in the
tables that 1t gave, by far the most COM
plete that have been compiled, of pro-
ducing dams and grandams. But we are
inclined to review Il little It's review of
The Morgan Horse" because it opens a
subject of large moment and general in
terest-that of illustrations, OF pictures,
of horses. We quote:
1.-The landscape views are superb.
Would that we could say as much for the
horse portraits. Those of the Old-tme
animals. such as Justin Morgan, Black
Hawk, Ethan Allen, Clifford Morgan and
Green Mountain Morgan are gross carl
catures. On the other hand, the portraits
of Dennlng Alien, the Fearnaughts, Lord
Clinton and others are gems of art and
beauty"
On page u of the book we say in re-
gard to illustrations:
This work is illustrated entirely with
photographers, that are themselves re-
productions of photographs from nature
or from life, where it has been possible to
obtain such. In few cases of horses
not living it bias been necessary to copy
such pictures as have been handed down,
more or less accurate, as the case might
be- but in the case of horses yet alive
we have refused to accept any pictures
except those taken by the sun. \ fine
painting is valuable, but what we want,
generally, from the picture of a horse, is
to know how he looks, and for this pur-
pose photograph is the most, If not the
only available picture.
From the above statement it will be
seen that we have tried, and as far as it
was possible, by the only means that can
be used to attain this, the combining of our
pictures to those taken by Photographic
or similar process, to give truthful pictures
of the horses mentioned in our book. Our
only departure from this, as stated, is
where the horses were dead and we could
find 10 picture of them taken by the sun.
Does "Clark's Horse Review" use this
same precaution in giving illustrations
of horses? According to our remem-
brance it hardly ever has. 1t certainly
gives week after week pictures of living
horses, more less prominent, that come
from artists drawings, and are perfectly
worthless TO. any one, because no one
knows how much they may or may not
resemble the horses or how much they
may be the fancy of the:artist that draws
them. We do not think that it is stating
it too strong to say that no one on earth
cares to see any of these pictures. They
are a burden and nuisance, and can be
only accounted for by supposing that
advertisers pay to have them inserted.
On the other hand, real pictures, that is,
of many OF these horses would be very
valuable and,agreeable to readers. Why
do not all able horse papers adopt the
principle of giving no portraits of living
horses except those taken by the sun?
And especially why does not "Clark's
Horse Review" do it, since they well re-
cognize the undesirabillty of the other
pictures?
On the other hand, when we analyze
the criticism made by the reviewer we
find it very crude. In the first place, the
pictures of Clifford Morgan and Green
Mountain Morgan referred to are both
made from daguerreo-
types, and therefore must be and are
exact portraits of the horses mentioned.
The picture of Justin Morgan, as appears
on the page where 1t is given, is endorsed
by three very intelligent men that knew
the horse well, and one of whom was an
owner for years, as very accurate, and
certainly their opinion should be worth
more than that of one who never saw the
horse.
We should be very glad to substitute
better pictures of Black Hawk and Ethan |
Allen if any one will tell us where they |
are to be had, but these were the best we
to meet with and therefore we
used them.
A GREAT STALLION RACE.