Horse and Hounds Punch Bowl

Beginning in the 18th century, the Chesapeake became a center for sports–including English- style hunting and horse racing. English hunt engravings inspired scenes on painted Chinese ceramics in an East meets West collaboration. Catering to clients’ tastes, Chinese artists interpreted English hunting scenes for the export market in ceramics. These pieces were popular in the Chesapeake region. Some known examples of Chinese export porcelain with hunt scenes made for the local market include pieces owned by Governor Samuel Sprigg (1783-1855) of Maryland and John Seawell of Gloucester County, Virginia. Hammond-Harwood House museum has one such bowl that was purchased for the collection in 1952; the design is a detailed scene of riders in the midst of their hunt.

The Maryland Jockey Club, the United States’ oldest sporting association, founded in Annapolis in 1743, is credited with introducing thoroughbred racing in the American colonies. The club attracted patrons like Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. Many of the horses and their trainers came from England, like horse master John Craggs (1736-1805) from County Durham, England, who trained horses for Maryland elites like John Ridout and Edward Lloyd III. Craggs lived in the William Brown House in Londontown. Through 1795, Craggs advertised imported “thorough bred” horses for sale and even traveled to England in 1792 to oversee the import of horses.

Many horse owners also held slaves who played an important role in the development of horse racing as groomsmen and jockeys. Racing was the only racially integrated sport during this era. In the years after the Civil War, some of the wealthiest jockeys were African American. Skilled African American jockeys, trainers, and grooms contributed significantly to horse racing in early America, helping to create the sport as we know it today. For more information on this topic we recommend reading “The Prince of Jockeys: The Life of Isaac Burns Murphy” by Emory University’s late curator Dr. Pellom McDaniels III. Isaac Burns Murphy was a 19th century African American jockey; the book recounts highlights of his life, including a race he won in Baltimore.

By Rachel Lovett, Curator