Friday, August 29, 2008

From Buckles


Scan10636, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

I received this picture some time ago from Richard Reynolds with the following note:

"This may be the oldest photo of a living elephant, and I mean anywhere in the world. Flint's 1860 photo of Hannibal (in Haufellner's book) was thought by Haufellner and John Edwards of London to have been the oldest.
This may be several years older than that."
Richard

On the back of the picture:
"Dagerrotype/ambrotype circa 1850's possibly in the new New York Central Park, New York City."

Posted by Buckles at 8/29/2008 06:40:00 AM

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

The spotted horse was itself unusual, one circus, John Stowe, featured a team of piebald ponies on their bandwagon starting in 1868. It was among the first of the aggrandized lead bandwagon hitches. It was adequate to impress a young Charles Ringling and remain a fixture in his mind decades later. A photograph of a spotted Stowe team was sold years ago by Charles Bernard as 1850, but it took John Polacsek to correctly date it as 1868. See Bandwagon, May-June 1985, page 51.

I wonder how many bull men have worn beaver top hats? The tall, concave crown and narrow brim, as well as the type of photo, cased image, likely date this view to the 1850s.

Maybe someone can comment on the saddle?

29 August, 2008 09:07
Anonymous said...

Mr. Reynolds continuesw to enlighten us as well and I appreciate and thank him as well for keeping us so informed.

29 August, 2008 09:17
Anonymous said...

Too bad the comment was anonymous as I am sure the author could enlighten us with more of his historical knowledge.

29 August, 2008 09:19
Anonymous said...

Why would a spotted horse on a circus in those days be unusual?

29 August, 2008 09:47
Anonymous said...

I don't know. Maybe someone with knowledge of domesticated horses knows. Barnum also reportedly got people to look at a cherry-colored cat.

29 August, 2008 11:05
Mike Naughton said...

The cherry colored cat was "black" cherry...did the other blogger know that already?

29 August, 2008 11:32
Wade G. Burck said...

Anonymous,
Johnnys right, enlighten us. What's wrong with the saddle, it looks to be a typical western stock saddle from that era. Some used a higher cantle. The horse, if that's what it is, as it is sure a homely muley looking thing is what would be called a Tovero today. I am sure it was not a featured principal animal.
Wade Burck

29 August, 2008 12:01
Anonymous said...

The query "Maybe someone can comment on the saddle" was to solicit any useful remark about it, if it was typical, unusual, or whatever. Maybe someone has knowledge of 1850s saddles? I don't. It wasn't a trick question and no agenda was intended.

29 August, 2008 16:08
Anonymous said...

Haven't you guys learned to identify the "Anonymous" who frequently uses the word "likely?"

29 August, 2008 20:17
Anonymous said...

It's unlikely.

30 August, 2008 12:25

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