NSLM Newsletter - Spring 2006

2006·0.73 MB·English

The National Sporting Library
N E W S L E T T E R
ARESEARCHCENTERFORHORSEANDFIELDSPORTS MIDDLEBURG,VIRGINIA
NUMBER79 1 9 5 4 • FIFTY-TWO YEARS • 2006 SPRING2006
From the Estate of His Royal Highness,
The Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
hanks to the generosity of Page wrote in his introduction,
TJacqueline B. Mars, Vice “The scope of his [the author’s]
Chairman of the NSL Board, work is to explode some common
the Library was the successful bid- mistakes, and reduce the art of
der on four lots in a highly competi- Shooting Flying to some method.”
tive sale in London, January 27. Lot 636 is an early 19th–century
Christie’s auctioned sporting books, journal kept by veterinary surgeon
manuscripts, letters, art and Charles Clark. The dates of his
ephemera from the remarkable li- record span from November 1826 to
brary of the late H.R.H. Prince May 1842, and include anatomical
Henry, Duke of Gloucester (1900- notes, case reports on horses and
1974). The sale attracted buyers from dogs, and advertisements for three
all over the world who bid for these lectures given by Clark on the hoof.
rare books, some of which have not Clark was the nephew of Bracy
been available for years, some not Clark, one of the first graduates of
seen since before World War II. the veterinary college in London.
James Cummins, a New York book- Lot 664 is the incredible auto-
seller and former NSL board mem- graph manuscript of the renowned
bsaelreP, rgrienrapctreie ssH. eennterdy wthaes Lai bsroanr yo fa tK itnhge Christie’s hWCuhonroitsdintcigeo’ css koa npgtG,l y“r Jadovehesncs r Pibe(ee1sl7, ”i9t 5 ba-y1s 8J“o8th6h)ne.
o:
George V and a great-grandson of hot manuscript of the most famous of
P
Queen Victoria. Educated at Eton all English hunting songs, in the
H.R.H. Prince Henry,Duke of Gloucester.
and Sandhurst, he joined a cavalry original Cumberland dialect.” John
unit, the 13th Hussars in 1920, and Peel (1776-1854) was the legendary
later the 10th Royal Hussars, where Cumberland huntsman of Caldbeck
he earned the reputation as an excel- Prince Henry acquired the book in who “maintained at his own ex-
lent and fearless horseman. He rode 1939 from the sale of the famous pense a pack of hounds and two
in point-to-points and first fox- Schwerdt collection, and it bears the horses for over fifty years.” Peel’s
hunted with the Quorn, and fre- bookplates of both Schwerdt and reputation is due almost entirely to
quently hunted with the Belvoir,the Gloucester. Edie writes candidly: the song celebrating him, written
Pytchley and the Grafton. He also “Our English Fowling-Piece has, of by his friend John Graves in 1829,
enjoyed wing-shooting. Thus, his late years, met with so much im- while the two sat at an inn planning
love of country sports was reflected provement, that we may, without ahunting expedition.
in his library,for which he began ac- partiality, esteem it equal, if not su- Lot 735 is a set of eight auto-
quiring books in 1928. perior, to any other in Europe. Not graph letters signed by Robert
The Library acquired four lots, all withstanding, it must be confessed, Smith Surtees (1803-1864) to his ed-
destined for the rare book room. Lot we have many more bad than good itors and illustrators, two of which
563 consists of two books, both in pieces among us…” areto illustrator John Leech.
excellent condition. The first is A The second in 563 is The Art of Most of the correspondence con-
Treatise on English Shooting by Shooting Flying familiarly explain’d by cerns Surtees’s plans for his book
George Edie, published 1772, and way of dialogue by T[homas] Page, Young Tom’s Heartaches and Horses.
described by Christie’s as “the first published 1766. Christie’s said it is Surtees, in collaboration with
book solely on guns and game: on “the first book in prose solely on Leech, is most famous for his series
how to shoot it, as well as concise in- shooting.” The text is written in the of books that centered on the fic-
formation on the fowling-piece, form of a conversation between tional foxhunting character, the gro-
powder, shot and flints… very rare.” “AIMWELL” and “FRIENDLY.” cer Jorrocks.
Joan Irvine Smith Sporting Art on View
“ asterpieces of European
Mand American Sporting
Art: 19th- and 20th-Cen-
tury” is an exhibit of exceptional
paintings and bronzes from the Joan
Irvine Smith collection now on view
at the National Sporting Library. The
show, which opened April 21, in-
cludes a delightful array of works by
such renowned artists as John F.
Herring Sr. and Jr., Henry Alken,
John Ferneley, and Sir Alfred J.
Munnings. Scenes of hunting, rac-
ing, shooting and driving share
space with more unusual snippets of
country life: foxes stalking their prey
or, in one case, a fox family curiously
observing a hedgehog.
“This exhibit is absolutely ex-
traordinary. The list of paintings and
sculptures reads like a who’s who
of famous sporting artists from
England, France and America,” said
Nancy Parsons, NSL President and
CEO.
Many works command the view-
ers’ attention. John Frederick
Herring Sr.’s Start for the Oaks,1845,
is a panoramic sweep of spectators
and competitors. His Hunting John Ferneley Sr., Physician with H. Edwards Up,oil on canvas,
signed Melton Mowbray, 1832.
Mishapreflects all too well the perils
of the chase, and his Huntsman
Jumping Over a Fence with Foxhounds
the thrill; a horse leaps over a four-
bar gate with ease. Henry Alken Sr.’s
The Start of the Derby depicts horses
racing in a heat.
According to Liz Dubenitz, who
with her husband Greg owns the
Sporting Gallery in Middleburg, R.
Gordon Barton was instrumental in
helping Smith amass her collection.
“My father had an eye for a good
picture,” said Liz. “There are many
collectors today who are very
pleased that they took his advice.”
Other sporting artists represented
include Raoul Millais, Charles
Towne, Abbot Henderson Thayer,
George Armfield, John Lewis
Brown, David Dalby, John
Wainwright, Arthur Wardle, James
Pollard, Samuel Raven, William J.
Shayer, J.W. Snow, R. Stone, Sawrey
Gilpin, Charles Cooper Henderson,
and E.A.S. Douglas.
“We are deeply grateful to our
friend and member of the NSL Charles Towne, AGentlemen on a Galloping Chestnut Horse,oil on canvas,
Continued on page 3 1819. The exhibition poster is available for purchase at the Library.
-2- The NSLNewsletter,Spring 2006
Joan Irvine Smith Sporting
Joan Irvine Smith
Art on View
Continued from page 2
hilanthropist and art connois- Board, Joan Irvine Smith, and to her
P
seur Joan Irvine Smith, who son, James Swinden, for lending
has been an NSLboard member these treasures for a lengthy and im-
since 1995, wears many hats: portant exhibit. I encourage every-
preservationist, museum one to visit the Library to see and
founder, mother of three, Irvine enjoy this marvelous collection,”
Company director, and a horse- said Parsons.
woman who has bred, trained, Other striking paintings include
Physician with H. Edwards Up by
and ridden many notable win-
John Ferneley Sr., which depicts a
ners. She has also been an in-
blue-silked jockey astride an eye-
valuable supporter of the
catching bay. Sir Alfred Munnings’s
Library, having donated at least
Anarchist Going to the Post shows a
twelve books about the art of
handsome chestnut, Number 6,
California and land conservancy.
heading out to the job he’s been so
Smith, from San Juan
carefully conditioned to do. Not to
Capistrano, Cal., was married to
overlook are George Armfield’s
legendary horseman Morton W. Spaniels with Pheasants; W.
“Cappy” Smith from 1963 to the Cruikshank’s Still Life of Rabbits and
mid-’70s, a time when she called Fowl; David Dalby’s Birmingham
Middleburg home. For 12 years with Pat Connally Up, and E.A.S.
she and Cappy bred, trained and Douglas’s Set of Four Coaching Scenes.
sold horses from The Oaks, the
230-acreproperty Smith bought
in 1963 for herself and her three
Joan Irvine Smith
sons—Jim Swinden, Russell
Penniman, Morton Irvine
Smith—and stepdaughter Alletta
Morris Smith. Her mother, the Isadore Jules Bonheur
late Athalie R. Clarke, bought (French, 1827-1901),
Byrnely Farm in The Plains a Racehorse and Jockey,bronze.
few years later.Although Joan
Irvine Smith and Cappy di-
vorced in 1975, they remained
close friends and business associ-
ates, breeding, training and
showing horses until his death
in 2002.
Smith’s philanthropy has ben-
efited conservationists and art
lovers nationwide. With her
mother, she founded the Irvine
Museum in 1992, which high-
lights California Impressionists.
She is also an active land-conser-
vationist; as a boardmember of
the Irvine Company, she was
able to preserve a portion of her
grandfather’s once-extensive
110,000-acre sheep ranch in
California’s Orange County. In
addition to many other benefici-
aries, Smith helped found the
Reeve-Irvine Spinal Cord Injury
Research Center for Spinal Cord
Repair at the University of
California.
Sir Alfred J. Munnings, Anarchist Going to the Post,oil on board, signed.
The NSLNewsletter,Spring 2006 - 3-
Chairman’s Council Luncheon
at Spring Hill Farm
Directors of The National embers of the Chairman’s
M
Sporting Library Council will enjoy a special
day at Edward “Ned” Evans’ 3,000-
102 The Plains Road acre Spring Hill Farm in Casanova,
Post Office Box 1335
Va., on Saturday, May 20, when
Middleburg, Virginia 20118-1335
they attend the Chairman’s Council
OFFICERS luncheon. An added bonus is the
Manuel H. Johnson guest speaker, Pulitzer Prize-win-
Chairman
ning author Jane Smiley, whose
Nancy H. Parsons best-selling books include Horse
President & CEO Heaven, a novel about racehorses’
Jacqueline B. Mars irresistible characters and their
Vice Chairman
owners’ conniving ones. In AYear
Clarke Ohrstrom at the Races: Reflections on Horses,
Treasurer
Humans, Love, Money and Luck,
Karen Showalter
Smiley reminisces about horses’
Assistant Secretary-Treasurer
idiosyncratic ways that often result
DIRECTORS in wins. Smiley’s 1991 novel A Jane Smiley, whose Horse Heaven was
Mimi Abel Smith Thousand Acres earned the published in 2001, will be the guest speaker
at the Chairman Council’s luncheon.
Thomas H. Anderson Jr. California author the 1992 Pulitzer
Arthur W.Arundel
Prize in fiction. cluding the 2002 Ogden Phipps
Donald G. Calder
John Coles Spring Hill Farm itself is spectac- Award, presented to the outstand-
*John H. Daniels ular. It is ranked as the number one ing breeder by the New York Turf
EdwardP.Evans breeding farm in Virginia and sec- Writers Association. He has been the
Helen K. Groves ond in the country. Evans’ tireless leading owner at three consecutive
Manuel H. Johnson
efforts in thoroughbred racing and Aqueduct spring meetings and was
Jacqueline B. Mars
Clarke Ohrstrom breeding have proved rewarding; the leading owner at the 2000 spring
Jacqueline L. Ohrstrom the native Virginian has, in fact, Belmont Park Races.
Wright R. S. Ohrstrom raced more than 30 stakes winners All Chairman’s Council members
F. Turner Reuter Jr.
and bred more than 45, including are invited to attend this special
Joan Irvine Smith
*Peter Winants Breeders’ Cup Classic winner and event. For those interested in becom-
2005 Horse of the Year Saint Liam. ing a Chairman’s Council member,
*Honorary He has received notable awards, in- please call 540-687-6542.
THE NATIONALSPORTING New England Book Auction
LIBRARY NEWSLETTER
(ISSN 1068-2007) Thanks to a grant from the McBean Family Foundation, the Library purchased
twelve American angling, fowling, and sporting art books. James Cummins
Number 79, Spring 2006 Booksellers, of New York, represented the NSLgratis to bid on books selected by
Librarian Lisa Campbell, and President and CEO Nancy Parsons.
Published by the
• Bates, Joseph D. Streamer Fly Tying and Fishing, 1966. Signed by the author.
National Sporting Library
• Borger, Gary A. Designing Trout Flies, 1991. Signed by the author.
Telephone [phone] • Covert, William Chalmers. Wild Woods and Waterways, 1914. Signed by
http://www.nsl.org
the author.
Louisa Woodville, • Davis, Tom. The Art ofBob Kuhn, 1989.
Editor, Director of Communications • Evans, George Bird. The Woodcock Book, 1977.
• Evans, George Bird. Grouse Along the Tramroad: Shooting Over Four Generations
Nancy H. Parsons, of Old Hemlock Setters, 1986. Signed by the author.
President and CEO
• Evans, George Bird. From My Covers: Twenty-Two Selections from the Old
Lisa Campbell, Hemlock Collection of Sporting Books & Mystery Novels, 1995. Signed by
Librarian the author.
• Evans, George Bird.Introduces: Men Who Have Enriched Our Gunning Through
Elizabeth Manierre, Their Bird Dogs and Paintings and Experiences, 1990. Signed by the author.
Art Curator
• Holt, John. Chasing Fish Tales: AFreewheeling Year in the Life of an Angler, 1993.
Karen Halver, Signed by the author.
Assistant to the President • Holt, John. Knee Deep in Montana’s Trout Streams, 1991.
• McIntosh, Michael. Robert Abbett, 1989.
Judy Sheehan, • Rosborough, E. H. Reminiscences From 50 Years of Flyrodding, 1982. Signed by
Receptionist
the author.
-4- The NSLNewsletter,Spring 2006
Shooting Flying – American Style
By Ed Muderlak
he National Sporting Library is a
T
goldmine of information in my
area of expertise: “Shooting Flying—
The American Experience” (tentative
title of my next book).
The phrase “Shooting Flying” was
coined by Richard Blome in his 1686
tome, Gentlemen’s Recreation, which
contains the first image of what we
Americans would ultimately call
“shooting on the wing” or simply
wing shooting. Great Britain, how-
ever, was a laggard when it came to
the sporting use of firearms, and
there’s more to the story of “Shooting
Flying” than just the British version.
According to an article, “When
Shooting on the Wing Originated,” in
a September 1875 issue of Forest &
Stream, the sport is attributed to con- “Toho,” from The American Shooter’s Manual,by AGentleman of Philadelphia
County, privately printed by Ernest R. Gee, NY, 1928.
tinental Europe. The writer cites an
Italian work entitled Eccelenza Della
Caocia de Cesare Solatio Romana, ence to the use of a fowling piece, to In America, the colonists de-
printed in Rome in 1669: “. . . the art reduce wild birds to possession, is by pended on hunters to supply food;
of shooting on the wing had been Captain John Smith, in giving an ac- there was little time for, nor suffer-
known in Rome for about eighty count of his journey to Pamunkee in ance, of purely recreational pursuits.
years.” So it seems that in Italy, 1608, where he wrote in his journal: To add insult to injury, there were
sportsmen began wing shooting in “Ahundred and forty-eight fowls the puritanical restrictions on what
about 1589. President Anthony Bagnall and could be published in the colonies,
The English had a rich culture of Serigent Pising did kill at three which effectively suppressed books
sport hunting, even preceding the shoots.” While Captain Smith’s ac- and newspapers about the early-
days of the Norman Conquest in count most likely involved “shooting American “diversions” such as
1066. Equally important, they took sitting,” the greater challenge of hunting and fishing.
heed of Chaucer’s prologue to The shooting on the wing was only a mat- The first printing press in the
Twenty-Five Good Women (1380s) ter of time. colonies was at Cambridge,
where he commented that: “By writ- The Reverend Johannes Massachusetts, in 1638, and the “Bay
ing have men mind of things passed, Megapolensis wrote in his 1644 diary Psalm Book” (full title: The Psalms in
for writing is the key to all good re- that: “We have here [New Nether- Metre, Faithfully translated for the Use,
membrance.” land, later New York], a great number Edification, and Comfort of the Saints in
British hunters began leaving lit- of all kinds of fowl . . . which sport Publick and Private, especially in New
erary tracks as early as 1410, with The upon the river in thousands in the England, 1640) is said to be the first
Master of Game, in manuscript, by spring of the year, and again in the American published book. The
Edward, 2nd Duke of York. With the autumn fly away in flocks, so that in founders kept a watchful eye from
invention of the printing press in the the morning and evening anyone both a religious and civil point of
mid-1400s came The Boke of St. Albans may stand ready with his gun before view, quickly appointing licensers of
(1486), being the first English-lan- his house and shoot them as they fly the press, and passing laws limiting
guage book about hunting, 23 pages past [emphasis mine].” This appears publication to what government
of which are subscribed, Explicit Dam to be the first direct reference to wing censors permitted.
Julyans Barnes in Her Boke of Huntyng. shooting in America—42 years before Virginia followed suit, the idea
Five centuries later, President Blome’s Gentleman’s Recreation (1686) being to keep the underclass in igno-
Theodore Roosevelt wrote a fore- pictured “shooting flying” in rance, make them more obedient to
word to a reprint of The Master of England. So it would seem that the the laws, prevent them from libeling
Game, edited in 1909, by William A. colonies, like the Mother Country, the government, and to impede the
and F. Baillie-Gorhman. According to would have a rich history of sport growth of heresy. So it’s not surpris-
Roosevelt: “The Englishman stands hunting, but there was a problem: ing that when our founding fathers
preeminent through the 19thCentury Let us never forget that America was were mulling over a “Bill of Rights,”
as a sportsmen for sport’s sake.” settled by persons who, for one rea- they agreed the First Amendment to
But what about the Americans? son or another, wanted to distance the Constitution of the United States
Perhaps the first “New World” refer- themselves from England. Continued on page 8
The NSLNewsletter,Spring 2006 - 5-
Researchers Benefit from NSL Collection
his season’s researchers at the Mackay-Smith, the MFH who co-
T
National Sporting Library have founded the Library with George L.
been making headway on such di- Ohrstrom in 1954, and those of
verse projects as writing and illus- Virginia historian and horseman
trating a book on the horse in Fairfax Harrison, whose horse ge-
Virginia; compiling histories of the nealogies of the 1920s and ’30s filled
Orange County and Middleburg in many gaps.
Patricia Franz
hunts; writing a PhD dissertation on , a City University
horses and society during the of New York doctoral candidate, is
Renaissance; and searching for an referencing 16th– and 17th–century
elusive 16th–century Italian manu- books from the Library’s rare book
script dedicated to Queen Eliza- room for her PhD dissertation that
beth’s Master of the Horse, Robert explores horses as a symbol of rank
Dudley, the Earl of Leicester. in the Renaissance and Baroque
Moses Thompson
, of the Orange eras. It is common knowledge that
JCaomunesty L H. Yuonut,n igs working with MFH Orange County Hunt member Moses horses were indispensable in war, as
to write the hunt’s Thompson is researching the hunt’s early transport, and as work animals; they
history. Thompson is currently fo- history. were also very closely associated
cusing on the decade beginning in
with power in this period, and
1900 when Orange County was
Franz is interested in the ways that
comprised of sporting New Yorkers
riding masters and authors used
board for a new book on Munnings.
who were abandoning Long
such associations in their writing.
The letters, part of the John and
Island’s increasingly developed
The sources she is using include all
Martha Daniels Collection that the
countryside for the large, open editions of Federigo Grisone’s Gli or-
Library acquired in the 1990s, are to
spaces of the Virginia Piedmont. din di cavalcare (1550 et al.); Claudio
and from Campbell Soup heiress
Enthusiastic, and even obsessed, Corte’s Il cavallarizzo (1562, 1573);
Charlotte Coxe-Wright and her hus-
with pursuing M. Reynard, these
the French translation of Cesare
band William. The Coxe-Wrights
successful entrepreneurs came face- Fiaschi’s Trattato del’imbrigliare,
were Philadelphia main-liners, avid
to-face with native Virginians, some maneggiare et ferrare cavalli (1556);
foxhunters, and early collectors of
sotfi ltlh qeu Citiev idl eWstaitru. tIet iasf ttehre t ihnet erraavcatgioens Munnings’s work. The letters throw Tchhioefmesat s ofBfilcuens deovf illheo’sr seTmhaen shfoipupree
of these two groups that piques light as to the relationship between
Thompson’s interest—how did the Munnings, whom Daniels describes (D1e6l0le9 );r aaznzde, Gdiisacmipbliantati stdai Fcaevrraalcraar’se
two groups interact? What were the as talented and cranky, the artist’s
positive and negative impacts of “adoring” wife Violet, and the (1560). “Given my subject, the
this southern migration? wealthy Americans, whom National Sporting Library is a literal
Young is researching some of the Munnings fervently pressed to pur- treasure trove. It was a real joy to
broader issues of the hunt’s rich his- chase his paintings. Greenan wants work there, thanks to the collection,
tory. What were some of the charac- to establish the context in which the kindness of the staff, and the
ter traits of these larger-than-life these letters were exchanged, and he beaTuhtye oLf itbhrea lroyc ahtioans ,”r eshcee nstaliyd .re-
personages of the hunt who pro- is immersing himself in the artist’s ceived several international re-
vided the drive and leadership life. “The idea is that we can learn search requests.
through its 100 years of develop- something new about this great An Italian
ment into one of the premier hunts artist,” he said. Greenan plans to researcher, Dott. Andrea Tonni, is
in North America? What were the visit Munnings’s home territory, trying to locate a 16th–century trea-
basic qualities that molded the per- East Anglia in England, this summer tise by Italian breeding expert
sonna of a hunt that once labored to continue his research. Prospero D’Osma that once be-
Julie Campbell
under the sobriquets of “the , of Lexington, longed to the esteemed exhibitor,
Bastard Outlaw Pack” and the Va., is finishing The Horse in Virginia: breeder judge, and former AHSA
“Toothbrush Hunt”? What are the An Illustrated History, a project she president Alfred B. Maclay (d. 1944).
facets that accord them international undertook at the bidding of the Mark Campbell of Australia queried
renown today? University of Virginia Press, which Librarian Lisa Campbell about fe-
Tim Greenan
of Washington, will publish the work in 2007. male equestrian attire in the 1920s
D.C., and Middleburg, Va., is delv- Campbell, who was editor of the and ’30s for a film project whose
ing into the life of English artist Sir Library of Virginia’s Virginia costumes he is researching.
Alfred Munnings. He plans to use Cavalcade magazine for eight years, Museum staff from Edinburgh
the Library’s collection of 44 origi- has written the book and found the Castle, Scotland, are researching the
nal letters from Munnings and his illustrations for it. Some of the most Byerley Turk and the Royal Scots
wife Violet to American patron useful and basic resources, she said, Dragoon Guards for an upcoming
William Coxe-Wright as a spring- were the books of Alexander exhibition at the castle.
- 6- The NSLNewsletter,Spring 2006
Recent Book Donations
Christie’s auction books
– Jacqueline B. Mars, of The Plains, Shaw Sparrow, published 1927. It is a limited edition, number
Va., enabled the Library to successfully bid on four lots in a 68 of 250 copies. Stacy Lloyd was co-founder with Gerald B.
highly competitive sale in London, January 27. Christie’s auc- Webb of The Middleburg Chronicle which later became The
tioned sporting books, manuscripts, letters, art and ephemera Chronicle of the Horse.
from the remarkable library of the late H.R.H. Prince Henry,
Duke of Gloucester (1900-1974). See story on page 1. Mellon books
– Mr. and Mrs. Tom Brokaw, of Wilmington,
Deluxe Edition Del., donated a two-volume set of books, Painting in England
deluxe edition o–f TJohhe nD Her.r Dydaanleie Plsr,i notfs C baym Jodhenn , OS.rCd.e, mdoanna, tpeudb a- 1700-1850: Collection of Mr. & Mrs. Paul Mellon, published by
the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, 1963.
lished by The Derrydale Press in 2005. This beautifully pro-
The introduction was written by Basil Taylor, art historian and
duced book is number 6 of 300 copies, with a slip case.
friend of Paul Mellon.
Two books from Chile –
Guillermo Noguera L., of Santiago,
Super Retriever tapes
Chile, donated two beautiful full-color books published in – Chuck Hoovler, Trustee of Glenwood
2004. The first is El Rodeo Chileno: The Chilean Rodeopublished Park, Middleburg, Va., donated a set of eight VHS video tapes
by the Federación del Rodeo Chile. The text is in both Spanish of the “Super Retriever Series” which aired on ESPN in
and English, and gives a glorious overview of rodeo, Chilean- January 2004. The tapes have over three hours of footage of the
style. The second book is El Gran Libro del Caballo Chileno: exciting canine competition in which retrievers of various
Historia y Tradición de un País by Vincente Pérez and Alex breeds compete in timed events which simulate hunting, and
Huber. It describes the history and traditions of the Chilean also the long jump into water.
horse used in rodeos.
Cavalry periodical
Coyote articles – Dielle Fleischmann, of The Plains, Va.,
– John Paul Smith, DVM, of Bryan, Tx., do- donated her collection of back issues of The Cavalry Journal.
nated his collection of articles on the coyote, which came to the
NSLthrough Norman Fine, editor of Covertside. These articles This magazine ranks among the top ten periodicals used by re-
searchers.
on the coyote, that clever species of canine that is rapidly ex-
panding his territory throughout the U.S., have been included Big game hunting
in the Library’s vertical file. – Francis Q. O’Neill, of Upperville, Va., do-
nated his copy of After Big Game in Central Africa, by Édouard
Henry Alken book
– Mrs. Virginia Lloyd, of Berryville, Va., Foà. The author recorded his experiences of hunting big game
donated her late husband’s copy of Henry Alken, by Walter when crossing the “Dark Continent” 1894 to 1897.
Spring Events
full house listened to Peter Hoovler was presented with Over
A
Winants’ colorful narrative, the Timber, a painting by Don Crouse
“One Hundred Years of Middleburg depicting three horses jumping a
Hunt History: the People, Land and timber fence at Glenwood Park.
Sport,” at the National Sporting Participants also heralded past
Library February 4. Like hounds on
Middleburg Spring Race President
a good-scenting day, Winants cov-
Paul Fout, who passed away in
ered a tremendous amount of
2005.
ground, from the hunt’s inception in
The Library held a book signing
1906 to its present day.
As former editor of The Chronicle for Lieutenant Colonel Dennis J.
of the Horse, director of the National Foster, Ex.-MFH (U.S. Army Ret.),
Sporting Library from 1991 to 1998, author of Whipper-In: The Art and Share the joy and music of
and author of five books, Winants Science of Whipping-In and Insights Orange County Hunt’s mar-
was tailor-made for the task at hand, Into the World of Mounted Foxhunting velous afternoon concert of hunt-
adding his own reminiscences with on January 12. Foster not only writes ing songs. Songs of Foxhunting at
amusement and nostalgia. about the task of whipping-in, he the National Sporting LibraryDVD
“Peter’s talk brought people out is a 45-minute video recording of
also tells of his experiences of riding
who hadn’t been a part of the group the event, which is available for
with over 290 different hunts in
in a long time,” said Marion purchase for $25.00, including
Benedetto, who hosted the reception eleven different countries. Peter shipping and handling.
Winants introduced Foster, who is
with her husband, Frank. “It turned
out quite successfully.” the Executive Director of the Please call 540-687-6542, ext. 23,
The Middleburg Spring Races Masters of Foxhounds Association. to order. Visa and MasterCard
held their annual fete to thank its In his presentation, Foster shared accepted with phone orders, per-
Sports Council members and spon- numerous pictures and stories from sonal check by mail.
sors on Thursday, March 30. Chuck the book in a slide show.
The NSLNewsletter,Spring 2006 - 7-
Shooting Flying – American Style NSL Appears on Television
Continued from page 5
should provide that: “Congress shall make no law re- n interview with President and CEO Nancy
A
specting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the Parsons and Art Curator Betsy Manierre will be
free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, featured on ArtScape(Loudoun, Channel 3), a half-hour
or of the press . . .” television program that showcases outstanding artists
Captain John Smith’s men fired the first shot in 1608, and art in Virginia and reaches more than 30,000 view-
but it wasn’t until 175 years later, while England was ers. Television host Judy Sheehan interviewed Parsons
withdrawing its troops and disembarking Loyalists in and Manierre, who introduced the public to the ex-
1783, that finally the first American book about sport traordinary collection of paintings and bronzes from
hunting was published in New York, The Sportsman’s California philanthropist Joan Irvine Smith, entitled
Companion; or, An Essay on Shooting, by “AGentleman.” “Masterpieces of European and American Sporting Art:
Yet the “antis” were alive and vociferous even in 1802, 19th- and 20th-Century.”
when The Hare; Or Hunting Incompatible with Humanity: The exhibition of sporting art from a rarely-seen pri-
Written as a Stimulus to Youth Towards a Proper Treatment
vate collection opens at the Library, Friday, April 21.
of Animals, by an anonymous author was published in The program will air three times a day beginning April
Philadelphia. Then there was another long dry spell, 44 21 to April 26; please check your local listings for exact
years since The Sportsman’s Companion, until 1827, when times. Acopy of the tape will be available for viewing at
America’s second book in favor of hunting and the use the Library for anyone who is unable to tune in at these
of a shotgun was published in Philadelphia: The times.
American Shooter’s Manual by “A Gentleman of
Philadelphia County.” The nom de plume is said to be
that of Dr. Jessie Kester, but like “AGentleman,” the true Brown Letters to Nall Uncovered
identity of America’s first sporting book authors will
never be known.
he National Sporting
As to a national literary identity, the separation of two T
Library archive collec-
countries joined at the hip by a common language was
tion has some wonderful
not easy. American magazines and newspapers of the
19thcentury, especially American Turf Registerand Spirit finds that have not made
of the Times, recycled British news and reprinted well- their way into publication.
For two years volunteer Tria
known British authors. Books about guns and hunting
Dove, of The Plains, Va., has
followed the British template, and the pre-Civil War
been organizing boxes of
American experience with shooting flying was viewed
photographs and papers do-
largely through the tint of a British lens. But with the
nated to the Library from
post-war prosperity came a wealth of American-written
the estate of Wallace
and American-published sporting literature. Theodore
“Wally” Nall, a local artist
Roosevelt’s diplomatic pronouncement that: “The
Englishman stands preeminent through the 19th who, until his death in 2003,
was a popular portrait
Century as a sportsman for sport’s sake,” was strictly a
painter of horses, animals
retrospective. Beginning in about 1870, preeminence
and people. Last month, Dove was thrilled to discover
was with the Americans.
two letters that established equine artist Paul Brown
Many of the books and periodicals mentioned above
wrote to Nall in 1941. Brown was responding to the 19-
reside in the secure F. Ambrose Clark Rare Book room at
year-old about how he should pursue an artistic career.
the Library.
The collection also has several unframed paintings by
Travel Professionals Tour Library
Nall of exotic leopard hunts, featuring Great White
Hunters atop horses and elephants in the midst of a kill.
iddleburg in general and the National Sporting
M
Library in particular were the highlights of a thir-
teen-stop, four-day tour that 19 travel professionals en- Library Opens Doors During Hunt
joyed in mid-February. The visitors, who came from
Country Stable Tour
southern states across the U.S., visited noteworthy sites
in northern Virginia, both on and off the beaten track, in
order to devise their own educationally-oriented tours.
Their hour-long visit on February 16 included a tour of he National Sporting Library will open its doors
T
the Library, a talk on Tessa Pullen’s Civil War Horse Saturday, May 27, to visitors on the 47th annual
statue outside the Library, a tour of the current exhibi- Hunt Country Stable Tour held over Memorial Day
tion, and a film about Rokeby Farm’s famous stakes’ weekend. The 2006 tour will include several prestigious
winner Mill Reef (1968-1986), narrated by trainer Ian farms as well as the Middleburg Training Center and
Balding. “They loved it and the Library,” said Claudia adjoining Northern Virginia Animal Swim Center. The
Dornin, Loudoun Economic Development Coordinator occasion marks the first time the Library has partici-
for the Town of Middleburg. “No one wanted to get pated in this popular event that attracts several thou-
back on the bus!” sand visitors to the Middleburg area each year.
- 8- The NSLNewsletter,Spring 2006
National Show Hunter Hall of Fame Photos Find Home
hotographs highlighting the best
P
and the brightest of the show
hunter world will have a permanent
exhibit at the National Sporting
Library starting June 6, thanks to
The National Show Hunter Hall of
Fame. This organization, founded in
1995, honors outstanding horses
and equestrians, educates the public
on standards of judging in the show
hunter world, and generates sup-
port for this particular discipline.
The June 6 opening is in conjunction
with the 153rd Upperville Colt and
Horse Show, June 5-11.
The National Show Hunter Hall Judy Richter on Freedom.
of Fame includes such renowned
trainers and competitors as Rodney Their ranks include Bold Minstrel, nomination forms to competitors,
Jenkins, Bobby Burke, Kenny Rox Dene, Touch The Sun, and judges, owners and breeders who
Wheeler, George Morris, Jack Bonne Nuit. frequent A-rated horse shows. After
Stedding, Arthur Reynolds, and According to Jimmy Lee, tallying the response, seven people
Delmar Twyman. Inductees must renowned hunter judge, trainer, and four horses are nominated. The
have participated in the show breeder, and National Show Hunter ballot is then sent out to these same
hunter industry for at least 15 years. Hall of Fame Chairman, there are competitors, judges, owners and
Horses are also honored; to be eligi- two means by which an individual
breeders as well as other horse-
ble, they have to have been retired or horse is inducted into the presti-
show participants and attendees,
or deceased for at least five years. gious cache. Acommittee sends out
who select four people and one
horse from the nominated candi-
New Additions to Library Staff
dates.
“We also have a committee that
Bill Steinkraus chairs by which we
induct people from years past,“said
Lee, adding that inductees go as far
back as the 1920s. The honorees are
inducted at the Merion Cricket Club
banquet in Haverford, Pa., the last
Tuesday in May, in conjunction with
the Devon Horse Show.
“It’s just so fantastic that the Hall
of Fame will be at the Sporting
Library,” said National Show
Louisa Woodville Judy Sheehan Hunter Hall of Fame board member
has been the has joined the
Judy Richter, a lifelong horse-
National Sporting Library’s Director Library as receptionist, and her duties
woman. Other National Show
of Communications since early include welcoming guests, assisting
Hunter Hall of Fame board mem-
February. With a background in with research requests, and giving
bers are familiar names in the world
journalism, Louisa has regularly con-
tours of the Library. Her background
of show hunters: Arthur Hawkins,
tributed to magazines and newspa-
is in cable television reporting; she
pers such as The Washington Post, Louisa Lenehan, George Morris,
currently hosts the television pro-
CLoouudnoturyn. SMheag iasz ianles,o Ealna na dajnudnctH porrose- gram ArtScape, at Adelphia Channel BSeerttioy, OWariell, iaJmud yS tReiinchktrearu, sL, ouainsde
fessor of art history at George Mason 3, that features noteworthy artists in Kenneth Wheeler.
University and Northern Virginia Virginia. Judy is also a certified K-8 “Middleburg is the international
Community College, having earned Elementary Education teacher with capital of the hunter world, and the
a Masters in Renaissance Studies Theatre Minor, and her background Library is the center of the action
from the University of Virginia. For includes advertising, sales, public re- there, so it’s fantastic that you’ve
many years Louisa hunted with the lations, and communications. She taken us under your wing. We’re re-
Warrenton and Middleburg hunts lives in Leesburg with her husband ally grateful and proud,” said
and competed in local horse trials. and three boys. Richter.
The NSLNewsletter,Spring 2006 - 9-
Book Review
A. Patrick Smithwick, Jr., Racing My his neck and takes a long drink;
Father:Growing up in the Shadow of a from the importance of finding a
Jockey Legend, 2006. Eclipse Press, canopy of trees under which to ride
Blood-Horse Publications, Box in the heat of August, when you
919003, Lexington, Ky 40591. 362 pp. kick your feet out of the stirrups and
Illus. $24.95 paperback. your horse ambles along, his tail
switching away the flies; from the
atrick Smithwick stated in his peacefulness and timelessness of
P
preface: “In writing Racing My trotting across the ridge of a hill on a
FatherI wanted to create a portrait of February afternoon, the wind lacing
my love for my father as I was grow- through your deerskin wind-
ing up, and my love for my entire breaker, numbing your face, tearing
upbringing and apprenticeship at your ears.”
alongside of my father with horses The urge to return to race riding
and ponies on our farm [in continues to nag at Patrick. Now in
Monkton, Md.] and at the racetrack. his fifties, he returned to steeple-
I felt driven to bring alive for others chasing as the owner/trainer/rider
to experience how magical and of a horse that raced creditably this
powerful an upbringing it was—a spring. However, he now has a full-
devil-may-care, hell-bent-for-leather resented by Patrick. In August, a time teaching job—writing, of
lifestyle—and to experience the pain book signing for Racing My Father course.
of it, as well as the ecstasy.” will undoubtedly be held at the This is Patrick’s first commer-
Patrick’s father was the late Museum. “This will be a very emo- cially published book. After reading
Alfred Patrick (Paddy) Smithwick, tional time for me,” said Patrick. Racing My Father, you’ll agree that
who was one of the best steeple- Patrick writes beautifully, and he there will be more.
chase jockeys in the history of the candidly describes his own ups and —Peter Winants
sport in America. In a 20-year career, downs. Not surprisingly, he was a
Paddy was champion jockey four born horseman, and after sowing
times, and he won nearly 400 races, his share of wild oats, he became a
including all the major races. A pretty darned good race rider in his
crushing fall in 1964 at Monmouth own right, winning on horses
Park, which snapped Paddy’s spinal trained by his father at major race
cord, leaving him partially para- tracks and hunt meetings. Patrick
lyzed, terminated his riding career. struggled with the decision to make
He was 39 at the time, and, upon re- horses or journalism his career
covery, turned to successfully train- choice. The latter eventually won
ing racehorses. This career, in turn, out, and he prepared as a journalist
was terminated when lung cancer with undergraduate studies at
took his life at age 46 in 1971. Washington and Lee and Johns
In his book, Patrick quotes the Hopkins universities. Subsequently,
late John E. Cooper, who headed the he became the editor of a weekly
National Steeplechase & Hunt newspaper in Cambridge, Md, be-
Association, the governing body of fore undertaking graduate work in
the sport: “It would be hard to say creative writing at Hollins
The National Sporting Library
that Paddy ever won a race by tak- University. There, he met his wife,
Drive 2004
ing unfair advantage …. If a popu- the former Ansley Dickinson. They DVD is available for
larity poll were taken among have three children and live on the purchase for $25.00, which
steeplechase riders, Alfred Patrick same farm where Patrick was includes shipping and handling.
Smithwick would lead the list. brought up. This nicely produced documen-
Quiet, unassuming, but a man with The following paragraph is a tary covers each day of the
very articulate ideas about horses sampling of Patrick’s ability to write historic drive which took place
and riding, he is the personification creatively: “I am concerned, even October 22-24, 2004, and in-
of a gentleman, a great race rider alarmed, that a whole generation of cludes information on each of the
and a great credit to the sport.” Americans is coming of age at a dis- 30 participating coaches, their
Paddy Smithwick was admitted tance from the wonder of the out-of- whips (drivers), and horses.
to the Hall of Fame at the National doors, from the meaning of walking
Museum of Racing, Saratoga a horse to a stream and letting the Please call 540-687-6542, ext. 23,
Springs, NYin 1971. This is the ulti- reins slide through your fingers as to order. Visa and MasterCard
mate honor in horse racing. the horse stops, paws the water, accepted with phone orders,
Paddy was too weak to attend the sniffs it, and then, bracing his front personal check by mail.
induction ceremonies, and was rep- feet in the current, stretches down
- 10- The NSLNewsletter,Spring 2006