Trip to Kentucky and Visit at the Nursery Stud, Lexington; including also a journey to Louisville to see the Kentucky Derby and an interesting exploration of the Mammoth Cave, and other points of interest in the Blue Grass region. May 2nd-May 9th, 1896. As Guests of August Belmont, Esq.
1896.
Hardcover. Very good. Original photograph album (9.25" x 11.5", black cloth) documenting a visit by five friends to Lexington, Kentucky to tour thoroughbred horse farms, see the races, and visit Mammoth Cave. 81 photos, about half measuring 4.5 x 6 inches, the rest mainly 3.25 x 4 inches, a few smaller. Only a few are captioned, but there is a handwritten title page, as well as an itinerary listing all the week's activities at the rear. The members of the party were William A. Burnham, A. Lithgow Devens, A. Clifford Tower, Amos T. French, and E.C. Potter--all but the last of whom graduated from Harvard in the 1870s. Their host was another Harvard alumnus, August Belmont, Jr., a financier and prominent breeder of race horses (most notably Man O'War) who would go on to found Belmont Park in New York. Over the course of the week the men spent time at Belmont's farm (Nursery Stud) and the farms of notable breeders James R. Keene and Con J. Enright (Elmendorf Farm), as well as several private gentleman's clubs. The photographs show the Kentucky Association Track, many horses and their handlers, the men and their hosts, a visit to Mammoth cave (train and station, a young boy selling flowers, the men in their caving gear), and a few scenes from the rail journey to and from Kentucky. Tipped in at the rear pastedown is a menu for dinner held in honor of August Belmont (according to the notes, "tendered by prominent breeders and owners of race horses in Kentucky") at Navarre Cafe, Lexington, KY, May 5th, 1896. Taken as a whole, the album offers a fascinating glimpse into the lives of men of means and the world of thoroughbred horse breeding at the end of the 19th century.
Item #14073
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