Racing [The Start]

Thomas Rowlandson British
 Publisher S. W. Fores British

Not on view

Spectators seated in carriages, on horseback, and on foot, line a course to watch a horse race--the stout rider scattering figures at right is not a racer but a spectator whose mount runs out of control. The print comes from a group by Rowlandson devoted to moments in horse racing--interestingly none shows a finish. When first published around 1789, the titles were "The Mount," "The Start," "The Betting Post," and "The Course." The present example comes from an expanded reissue of 1798-99 with titles altered to "Mounting" (59.533.1697), "Racing" (59.533.1694), "Betting" (59.533.1695), with "Between Heats" (59.533.514, 59.533.1700), and "Weighing" (59.533.1696) and "Running out of the Course" (59.533.1698) added.

Racing [The Start], Thomas Rowlandson (British, London 1757–1827 London), Hand-colored etching

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