Do you keep a journal? If you care about being remembered to history, you probably should. Today’s highlight is an excellent example of how to make history: the 1826-1842 Case Book of veterinary surgeon Charles Clark.
The first entry of Charles Clark. Clark was a veterinary surgeon in Giltspur Street, London. His first patient was a gray horse “whose feet have been reduced to a deplorable state by the joint affects of contraction and the knives of the smith.”
Clark was the nephew and pupil of Bracy Clark, one of the first graduates of the veterinary college in London who was known for his research on horse feet. Because of Clark’s careful record-keeping, we can study his first-hand accounts of his treatments and results, sometimes in consultation with his uncle.
“Uncle Bracy determined to day (Dec 26) to keep the foot distended by mechanical means that the frogs might have liberty to expand themselves.”
You can record lasting history, too. The best bet would be to write on sturdy paper with dark ink, and keep your journal in good condition. Nobody is really sure yet how viable the digital record will be in the long term. Keeping a paper journal might preserve your name for centuries. It worked for Charles Clark, 190 years ago!
John Connolly has served as the George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Librarian at the National Sporting Library & Museum (NSLM) 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. Have a question? Contact John by e-mail
The museum has recently opened a new exhibition, The Chronicle of the Horse in Art, comprising art that has been featured on the cover of The Chronicle of the Horse magazine. The library has ties to this exhibition on several levels. First, one of our founders, Alexander Mackay-Smith was also a long time editor of The Chronicle. Second, our two organizations have shared space over the years. The library was in the basement of the Chronicle’s offices until the current buildings were constructed. Although we no longer share the same building, we are still on the same campus. Finally, the library houses an extensive backfile of The Chronicle.
It turns out, there is yet another connection. We have a children’s book in which one of the characters is shown reading a copy of The Chronicle. It’s called Welcome Home!, by Ludwig Bemelmans. Many readers will be familiar with this author and illustrator through his popular Madeline series of books.
The story is based on a poem by Beverley Bogert and describes the Gallant Hunt riding to the Holiday Hounds.
They chase the fox but he cleverly evades them.
Mr. Fox ends the day safe and comfy in his den surrounded by his family.
Welcome Home! by Ludwig Bemelmans, 1959.
The cover of The Chronicle of the Horse is quite distinctive. It has an elaborate masthead and border which frame the featured artwork. It is unique enough to make an issue of The Chronicle easily recognizable even at a distance.
The Chronicle of the Horse, May 7, 1965
In the final scene of Welcome Home!, we see Mr. Fox relaxing in his bed, reading what is clearly an issue of The Chronicle.
Welcome Home! by Ludwig Bemelmans, 1959
Our copy of Welcome Home! also has a letter from Ludwig Bemelmans’ daughter, Barbara, to Alexander Mackay-Smith, in which she conveys her father’s thanks for being allowed to use the image of The Chronicle in his book, and gifts him a copy.
Barbara Bemelmans, 1959
And eventually that same book was donated to the library and can now be viewed by anyone that cares to stop by the Main Reading Room. I encourage you to do so!
Erica Libhart has served as the Mars Librarian at the National Sporting Library & Museum (NSLM) 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. Have a question? Contact Erica by e-mail
Summer is fading, and that means two things. First, we’re trading summer sports (like polo) for our autumn sports (like foxhunting). Second, we’re set to launch our Annual Auction, which takes place in September and October of each year. The Auction is our main Library fundraiser each year, and we make available purchases of duplicate sporting books to fund the maintenance of our collections.
Hunting Pie, 1931. Available for purchase through the NSLM Annual Auction.
In the spirit of both these points, it seemed like a good time to highlight one of our 2016 Annual Auction offerings: Hunting Pie by Frederick Watson. The book is a humorous summary of “The Whole Art & Craft of Foxhunting,” and was illustrated by Paul Brown and published by the Derrydale Press in 1931.
“Let us consider some of the highly technical and ingenious explanations of that vexed question ‘Why Foxhunting goes on.'”
Jonathan Swift once described satire as “a sort of glass wherein beholders do generally discover everybody’s face but their own; which is the chief reason for that kind reception it meets with in the world, and that so very few are offended with it.” Watson instead draws on a self-deprecating tradition of hunting humor, choosing instead to leave no figure unscathed.
“In the best conducted Kennels the hounds all recognise the huntsman almost instantly. They know him by his coat and the bits of biscuit he throws them in advance, and because he has learned some of their names from the whipper-in. But principally because hounds are the same to everyone. The best huntsmen are rather aloof.”“During a quick dart across country [the Hunt Secretary] must shout a cheery word to a farmer shaking — through sheer excitement — a gleaming pitchfork, collect a couple of guineas from a stranger who has turned up discreetly late, and yet arrive in time to register his official guffaw when the Master is reminded of a favourite anecdote at the kill.”“Every Hunt has a Field more or less. The press correspondents are fond of calling the m’followers’ but they don’t really or not very far or much. If you go to the Meet you will observe a concourse of cars blocking up the highway for about half a mile.”
It’s a delightful read, full of observational humor based on the timeless complaints of “modern foxhunting.” Paul Brown is in his element, as well. It’s a fun addition to a sporting book collection, if nothing else for the illustrations. You can read more about participation in the Annual Auction by viewing the catalog.
John Connolly has served as the George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Librarian at the National Sporting Library & Museum (NSLM) 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. Have a question? Contact John by e-mail
This week we kick off our Annual Auction, our main Library fundraiser of the year. Our highlight today comes from the books for sale in the Auction, but it wouldn’t be for sale without a string of failed careers (including a miserable stint for the postal service) across three countries. The book in question is called Hunting Sketches, and it’s a wonderfully illustrated 1933 imprint of the original, written in 1865. The author is Anthony Trollope (1815-1882).
Anthony Trollope, Esqre. Illustration by Robert Ball.
Today, Trollope is recognized as one of the most prolific novelists of the Victorian era, but he took a long path to get there. His parents were of the gentry, but Trollope’s father, a barrister, did not have the money to support the gentlemanly lifestyle. After losing his law practice and failing as a farmer, the Trollope family relocated to Belgium to avoid debtors prison. At 19 years old, Anthony worked for some time as a tutor and flirted with joining the cavalry before returning to London to work as a clerk in the General Post Office.
The 19th Century headquarters of the General Post Office in St. Martins-le-Grand in the City of London. Antique steel engraved print by Thomas Hosmer Shepherd (1793-1864).
It wasn’t a good fit. Trollope was consistently late to work, surly and unhappy, and didn’t get along with his supervisors. He later described his time there as “neither creditable to myself nor useful to the public service.” Facing deepening debts, however, Trollope remained at the Post Office, feeling he had no other choice but to continue working.
Trollope praises John Leech as a man with “an eye… for the man who hunts and doesn’t like it.”
Trollope’s fortunes changed in 1841, when a postal inspector in Ireland was discharged. The position was widely considered undesirable, but Trollope volunteered for the job. Eager to move Trollope out of the General Post Office, his supervisors approved him and Trollope was off to Ireland.
This edition of Hunting Sketches contains many illustrations by Robert Ball, and an introduction by James Boyd, MFH.
Trollope found almost immediately that Ireland agreed with him. Not only could his civil service stipend go much further in the economically depressed Irish countryside, but he appears to have gotten along well with the people as well. With a more comfortable living, Trollope began foxhunting and continued to do so for much of the rest of his life.
Trollope’s Hunting Sketches consists of essays about many different aspects of hunting in the mid 19th Century.
Trollope’s new job was heavy on travel, and he spent much of his time on trains in writing his novels. The rest, as they say, is history. In 1865, Trollope wrote his Hunting Sketches, a mild, witty, and insightful look into hunting and its popular reception during Trollope’s time. Because Trollope endured years of failure at a postal worker, we have his observations available to us today. You can read more about participation in the NSLM Annual Auction by viewing the catalog.
John Connolly has served as the George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Librarian at the National Sporting Library & Museum (NSLM) 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. Have a question? Contact John by e-mail
For those of you who have been to one of my gallery talks, you’ve probably figured out that I love to share ideas about sporting art, sporting culture, and related trivia. It’s a passion to bring this material to broader audiences. Put me behind a podium, however, introducing someone with an impressive list of credentials, and I’m like a deer in headlights! All of a sudden I’m responsible for summarizing someone’s accomplishments. This is the worst kind of pressure, and I am not good at rote memorization.
Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait (American, 1819 – 1905) American Deer, 1857, oil on canvas, 7 ⅛ x 5 ⅝ inches National Sporting Library & Museum, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Timothy Greenan, 2011
I like to think I’m more like A.F. Tait’s American Deer when presenting gallery talks, poised and dignified (with a dose of caffeine). You might have seen this painting in the second floor Museum galleries, but it is currently off view. Although Tait painted several full-size canvases of deer, some reminiscent of Sir Edwin Landseer’s Monarch of the Glen in the Museums of Scotland collection, the small three-quarter portrait in the NSLM collection is unusual for him. It depicts an eight-point buck with a velvet rack and summer coat framed by foliage. Fun fact – Did you know that antlers used for sparring in the fall are rich with nerves and sensitive to pain when in velvet? Bucks are extremely aware of their racks and avoid contact with objects such as tree limbs during this time.
Landseer’s magnificent portrait of a red deer in the Highlands shows the buck proudly displaying his twelve-point rack and thick winter coat. Paintings like these were embraced by an ever-increasing urban population as windows into nature.
I know I would not get tired of looking at Landseer’s painting. Working in a converted 1804 Federal-style house means that the Curatorial offices in the Museum are below ground level. Mine is the only one with a window. I enjoy the filtered sunlight and occasionally get a glimpse of the lawn service crew mowing the grass.
I think I speak for George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Librarian John Connolly, Curator of Permanent Collections Nicole Stribling, and myself in saying, we enjoy sharing the topics we love with like-minded people instead of just a computer screen. Gallery Talks are about sharing ideas and intended to be informal chats that last about a half hour. If you’ve been wondering if you would like to commit your Wednesday afternoon to a Gallery Talk, know that we are down in the trenches and looking forward to coming up for some good conversation. See you next Wednesday at 2 pm!
Claudia Pfeiffer has been the George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Curator of Art at the National Sporting Library & Museum since the position was underwritten by the George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Foundation in 2012. Her primary focus is the research, design, interpretation, writing, and installation of exhibitions. E-mail Claudia at cpfeiffer@nationalsporting.org
Today Drawing Covert turns one hundred! This is post number one hundred, and we’ve been posting about events, books, art, and history for 21 months. To commemorate our accomplishment of a round number, I figured we could highlight a sketch book from the F. Ambrose Clark Rare Book Room, called One Hundred Original Sketches.
The sketches are by George Algernon Fothergill (1868-1945), a British doctor-turned-artist who took a break from sporting art to serve as Medical Officer to the 1st Cavalry Brigade during World War I.
First pencil studies for portrait of “Factor,” 1913.
The sketches in the book are mostly in pencil, and served as studies for later works. Each sketch is dated by the artist.
Left, center: “Buttercup,” by “The Baron,” winner of the House of Commons Point-to-Point, 1908, taken from snapshots. Right: “An actual face!!” 1913 sketch.
Fothergill worked from the early 1900s to 1945, during a renaissance period for British sporting culture. He enjoyed the patronage of the King of England, the German Emperor, the Duke of Leeds, the Marquess of Zetland, and the Earl of Lonsdale.
Book plate for William Hall, Baron Wavertree.
Fothergill was educated at Uppingham and Edinburgh University and theRoyal College of Surgeons. He was a lecturer at Edinburgh University before serving as resident clinical assistant at a mental ward. In 1906, over 1,000 of his works had been published, mainly in sporting magazines, and gave up medicine to focus on art and archaeology.
Left: “Waiting for the hounds, 1912” Right: “Brood Mares and Foal, 1913.” Both sketches labeled “sketched from our front garden.”
We’d like to thank our readers who have joined us for our first hundred glances into the collections and programs at NSLM. We’re excited for our next hundred, and hope you are as well. Going to be in our area in the coming months? Make sure to plan your visit so you can see some of our treasured objects or temporary loan exhibitions!
John Connolly has served as the George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Librarian at the National Sporting Library & Museum (NSLM) 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. Have a question? Contact John by e-mail
In a fortunate coincidence, we started reprocessing our books on Olympic equestrian events this week — right in the middle of the Rio Olympics. Something we found tipped in one of the books was called Ryttar-Olympiaden: Stockholm 1956. This off-print is a sampler ad for a 270-page commemorative book on the equestrian games of the XVIth Olympiad. Some great photos are included, and we wanted to share some memories to compare as we watch Olympic competition 60 years later.
Lis Hartel, Denmark, Silver, Henri St. Cyr, Sweden, Gold, and Liselott Lisenhoff, Germany, Bronze, Individual Winners of the Grand Prix de Dressage, riding their honorary turn around the Stadium.Hans Gunter Winkler, Germany, Gold Medal Individual of the Olympic Grand Prix Jumping Competition, made and extraordinary fine effort. Despite a serious muscle-rupture, incurred during the first round, and suffering from severe pains, Winkler rode his horse Halla through the second round without any fault.Queen Elizabeth at the moment when her horse Countryman III is passing the obstacle. To the left of the Queen, Princess Margaret, the Duchess of Gloucester, and the Princess Sibylla of Sweden.Some onlookers at obstacle No. 8-9: to the left the Grand Duke of Luxemburg, Lady Mountbatted, in the middle King Gustaf Adolf and Queen Louise, and then the long file of Swedish Princesses: Sibylla, and her four daughters, Christina, Desiree, Birgitta, and Margheretha. In front of them her only son, Carl Gustaf, the Crown Prince of Sweden.A. P. M. Bouchet, France, and his horse Ferney have a fall at the eight obstacle, but finish the cross-country phase.
The Olympics never seem to lack drama! From royal guests, to falls, injuries, and successes, the 1956 Stockholm Olympics seem to have had a fair share of heroics. It’s always great to get a look back at some of these moments past, even while new memories are being made.
John Connolly has served as the George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Librarian at the National Sporting Library & Museum (NSLM) 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. Have a question? Contact John by e-mail
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Drawing Covert
“Drawing Covert,” refers to the practice in foxhunting of putting hounds in a covert (pronounced like “cover”), a thicket or wooded brush area, to find the fox.
This blog is about the exhibitions, tours, research, programs, and events, at NSLM on its unique collection of books, archives, paintings, sculpture and much more.
