Celebrated American Trotting Horses
date: label: Date made
content: 1854
name: label: printer
content: Wagner & McGuigan
label: lithographer
content: Rease, William H.
label: original artist
content: Clarke, Robert A.
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: 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).
label: Description
content: 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.
label: Description
content: 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.
label: Description
content: 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.
label: Description
content: 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.
label: Description
content: Jack Rossiter was foaled in 1840 and achieved a best time of 2:28.
label: Description
content: 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.
label: Description
content: 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.”
label: Description
content: 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.
label: Description
content: 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.
label: Description
content: 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.
label: Description
content: 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.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
topic: label: Subject
content: Horses
label: Subject
content: Chronology: 1850-1859
label: Subject
content: Wagons
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content: Home and Community Life: Domestic Life
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content: Clothing & Accessories
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content: Art
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content: Peters Prints
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content: Domestic Furnishings
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content: Horses
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Harry T. Peters "America on Stone" Lithography Collection
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: DL.60.3532
label: catalog number
content: 60.3532
objectType: label: Object Name
content: lithograph
label: Object Type
content: Lithograph
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: image: 21 1/2 in x 38 1/2 in; 54.61 cm x 97.79 cm