The Horse and His Rider, from "Harper's Weekly"

Images(2)

Artist/Maker Thomas Nast (American, born Germany, 1840 - 1902)

Datepublished June 27, 1874

MediumWood engraving on newsprint

DimensionsComposition (a): 5 3/4 in. × 9 in. (14.6 × 22.9 cm) Composition (b): 4 3/16 × 4 3/8 in. (10.6 × 11.1 cm) Composition (c): 4 × 4 1/2 in. (10.2 × 11.4 cm) Sheet: 15 5/8 × 11 1/8 in. (39.7 × 28.3 cm)

Credit LineGift of Professor Emeritus Jay Williams, Class of 1954

Object number2019.13.245

Not on view

DescriptionComposition A occupies the upper center of the sheet. Man in top hat carrying hay on his shoulder. Horse next to him eating hay has "U.S.A." branded on shoulder. Papers on stand left of man and horse read "God bless our / army and / navy.", "Our country's. / Saviours",” "Appropriations / for the / army and navy.", "Resolutions of / thanks to the / army and navy." People in background on ground level and on terrace. Captioned "A horse-soldier took the utmost pains with his charger as long as the war lasted. He looked upon him as his fellow-helper in all emergencies, and fed him carefully with hay and corn." typeset beneath title in black ink. Composition B occupies the bottom left of the sheet. Man with whip in hand is leading his horse. Horse has "U.S.A." branded on shoulder. Horse is carrying large papers reading "Tinkering / with the U.S. / Army & Navy", "Army bills", "Bill for the gradual reduction / of the U.S. Army by the / military mean / ways committee." Captioned "When the war was over he only allowed him chaff to eat, and made him carry heavy / loads of wood, and subjected him to much slavish drudgery and ill treatment." typeset beneath title in black ink. Composition C occupies the bottom right of the sheet. Man sitting on and looking down at horse with sword out as horse falls over. Horse has "U.S.A." branded on shoulder. Chaotic scene of people and horses in background. Captioned "War, however, being again proclaimed, and the trumpet summoning him to his standard, the / soldier put on his charger and its military trappings, and mounted. The horse fell down straight- / way under the weight, no longer equal to the burden, and said to his master: 'You must / now e'en go to the war on foot, for you have transformed me from a horse into an ass; and / how can you expect that I can again turn in a moment from an ass to a horse?' -Aesop." typeset beneath title in black ink. Captioned "For Moral, apply to the Congressional Mean Ways Committee." typeset center bottom in black ink.

Collections

American Art

Additional Details

Provenance 2019: Hamilton College (Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art), by gift of Jay G. Williams.

Signature Signed "Th Nast" in block at lower left composition (a).

Inscribed Title typeset beneath image in black ink. Publisher banner headline typeset above image in black ink: "Harper's Weekly / Journal of Civilization / Vol. XVIII.-No. 913: New York, Saturday, June 27, 1874."