Unattributed “Trotting Cracks of Philadelphia Returning from the Race at Point Breeze Park, having a brush past Turner’s Hotel, Rope Ferry Road, Philadelphia, 1870.” [Penrose Avenue at Gateway Drive, South Philadelphia]

Unattributed.  “Trotting Cracks of Philadelphia Returning from the Race at Point Breeze Park, having a brush past Turner’s Hotel, Rope Ferry Road, Philadelphia, 1870.”  [Penrose Avenue at Gateway Drive, South Philadelphia]

Philadelphia: H. Pharazyn, 1870.  16 1/2 x 27 1/2.  Lithograph.  Original hand color only on some of the men’s attire & some horses.  Supplemented with modern hand color.  Marginal tears and some chips; one tear and small hole in title area.  All expertly conserved.  Overall, very good condition and appearance.  Rare.  America On Stone: p. 325.  A/A

A rare and delightful print “respectfully dedicated to the Lovers of Horses and the Sporting Public in general.”  It shows a 17 “lovers of horses” driving their trotting cracks past Turner’s Hotel in south Philadelphia.  Turner’s Hotel was owned by John C. Turner, a professional trotter driver and sportsman.  It was located on Rope Ferry Road (Penrose Ferry Road) and the trotting cracks were passing by after having been at a race at Point Breeze Park.  This hotel was located on what is now the corner of Gateway Drive and Penrose Avenue which is the northwest corner of present day FDR Park in South Philadelphia.  The view is from the other side of today’s Penrose Avenue looking southeast. The hotel had a large barn for horses and carriages, shown in the background, and its patrons, shown watching the trotters, obviously shared Turner’s enthusiasm for horses and trotting cracks.  It is interesting that the artist is not given, but each of the horses is identified.  As Peters says, “Those were the days when horses were far more important than artists.