Blessing of the Animals: a Look Back in Time

As the annual Interfaith Blessing of the Animals approaches, we at the NSLM find ourselves drawn once again to the tradition’s beginnings as well as seeking out artistic and archival examples in our collections. Within the NSLM’s own holdings exist several examples of Blessing the Animals imagery, with the Patricia W. MacVeagh Photo Collection boasting a […]

Adoring Aquatint

by Colleen Yarger, George L. Ohrstrom Jr., Curator of Library Collections aq·ua·tint NOUN VERB I’ll admit, ever since I learned about this printmaking method a few years ago, I have become head-over-heels enamored with this medium. What, you may ask, makes it worthy of my affection? Well, it’s an art. It’s a science. It’s tremendously […]

A Prize fighter, a Game Chicken, and a Giant walk into a bar…

The Intro Gallery of A Decade Afield displays artwork amassed during the pre-Museum days. It includes charcoal drawings by Edward Troye, bronzes by Carroll Bassett, a pastel of Harry Worcester Smith, and a portrait by Benjamin Marshall of John Gully. Who the heck is John Gully? Why should he be included amongst such company and […]

Chuck, Charlie, and Charles Rumph

A Look Inside The Charles Rumph Digital Archive and Women and Horses Exhibit by Porter Gaier, Shirley Z. Johnson Digitization Intern Inspiring. That is, at least, one way to describe Charles Rumph’s work, and another word to describe his life. Chuck, Charlie, Charles, whomever you knew him as, was an exuberant and cheerful man who excelled […]

History’s Most Unusual Duels

By Nicole Stutt When we envision duels, we often think of knights in shining armor or 18th century gentlemen in a field taking aim with pistols and one man left standing at the end of it. That was often the case, but not always. Some gentlemen were able to settle their disputes before they had […]

A Day at the Circus

By Nicole Stutt, Visitor Services Associate Generally, when someone mentions Rome and sports, the first thing that comes to mind is gladiators. And indeed, the Romans loved gladiatorial games as much as they loved any public spectacle. The most popular of them all were the Ludi Circenses, the chariot races. In fact, the races became […]

Sneak Peek: A Decade Afield

As you know by now, the Museum is in the middle of a month-long closure in preparation for A Decade Afield: Celebrating 10 Years of the NSLM’s Museum. The anniversary exhibition explores the evolution of the Museum’s collections not just in the last ten years of its formal existence but including the 60+ years beforehand […]

The Sporting Guide to Thelwell

Growing up, many of my days were spent in the company of horses. I began riding at a lesson barn with other horse-crazy kids and learned good horsemanship from the best teachers of all: the lesson horses. Each would have their own syllabus in mind. For example, Fergie, a little pony with a big attitude, […]

What a Wonderful Whorl

“Wow, that is one well-centered whorl,” my vet remarked one cold autumn day as he completed a pre-purchase exam on the gelding I was about to buy. “He’s going to be easy to work with.” The practice of reading a horse’s whorls, or trichoglyphs as they are known more scientifically, to guess its personality is an […]

Ronald Reagan’s Last Ride

By MiRan Powell It might come as a surprise to learn that before he became number 40, former President Ronald Reagan was an avid outdoorsman and enthusiastic equestrian with a great love of horses. Anyone who has ever been on a horse understands that whether you sit atop a plucky pony or mount a steady steed, […]