The French equine artist Henri DeLattre toured North America in the 1830’s receiving hateful reviews of his art through the sporting press.  His second trip occurred in the 1850’s, much matured in his profession, now to display what he had accomplished to his distractors.  Alexander Mackay-Smith* notes,   “— by which time the quality of his work had obviously improved, he painted some excellent portraits — for example Fashion (1855) and Lecomte (1856) both owned by the Jockey Club”.*  DeLattre’s stay was brief, this time, satisfied he had redeemed his legacy in America so the number of his mid 1850’s survivals pales to his colleague and only rival Edward Troye who too was having his most accomplished decade.  

Fashion’s defeat of Boston (the Pride of the South) at Long Island’s Union course in 1841 was a milestone match race elevating the status of the already celebrated four year old mare. That race was reported to have had 70,000 people in attendance which primed the atmosphere for another North verse South showdown. In 1845 again at the Union Corse the undefeated Alabama bred “Peytona” was the obvious choice who had won the richest American purse (35,000-) to date at Nashville. Outrageous attendance in the days of rail or horse & buggy, reported 100,000 people, prompted Currier & Ives to publish a large folio hand colored lithograph of the famous match race between Fashion and Peytona, won by the latter. This a North-South clash between Peytona who had been racing in New Orleans and Fashion who was bred in New Jersey. Former major match results had been heavily won by Northern thoroughbreds making this a symbolic tipping point which saw the South climb to dominance by the 1860’s in both breeding and racing. Two weeks later Fashion would hand Peytona her first loss at Camden, New Jersey. “Fashion went on and on, ending her racing career in 1848 at the age of eleven. Widely hailed as the greatest racer, if not the top money winner, of her sex ever to appear on the American turf, she won 32 of her 36 starts and was second in the other four”. **

Fashion is painted as an 18 year old mare seven years after ending her racing career. Good confirmation with athletic form of a mare in foal.  DeLattre’s likeness’ should be among the best equine executions from academic artists in America within the 19th century. Detail images should confirm that boast. This work was loaned by The Jockey Club in the autumn of 1944 to the Museum of Fine Art at Boston for their exhibit titled “Sport in American Art”. That show is possibly the first major exhibition of sporting art held in America.  George Edgell, director of the museum, in ARTnews referred to the showing as “The Pursuit of Pleasure in Paint”. George Bellows and Winslow Homer were among artists exhibited. A label from Newhouse Galleries in NYC retained on the reverse will date prior to the Jockey Club tenure. The Jockey Club was founded in 1894 and Newhouse Galleries dates to the 19th century. I have not attempted a search of when the Jockey Club acquired the painting.   

Condition: Surface is vivid with old thoughtful cleaning and minor touches of in-paint. A small area to the hip being the only revelation under black light on the animal. Two small touches below Fashion on the ground and scattered touches to the frame rub area. A tapered (1/4” wide) vertical piece of tape is exposed at viewer’s lower right bordering the frame. Period frame is intact with either a toned varnish or a thin wash of gold paint. Painting and frame survive in very nice condition. The lengthy tenure at a stable private institution under competent stewardship allowed the painting to descend in much better condition than most equine likeness’ from this period.  

*     The Race Horses of America 1832-1872 Portraits and Other Paintings by Edward Troye,  1981, page 101

**  The History of Thoroughbred Racing in America by William P. Robertson , 1964, page 64 (this painting also illustrated on page 65 though erroneously attributed to Troye in the caption with ownership correctly addressed to The Jockey Club)