Genre
WILLIAM JOHN HENNESSY (1839–1917)
The Race, 1860
Oil on canvas, 18 x 24 1/4 in.
Signed and dated (at lower left): W. J. Hennessy 1860
EXHIBITED: National Academy of Design, New York, 1860, 35th Annual Exhibition, no. 408
The Race, exhibited by the artist at the 1860 Annual Exhibition at the National Academy of Design, New York, is a quintessential mid-century genre scene, a sure-fire winner for a young artist looking for an audience. In the center of the picture, Hennessy paints two adult passengers seated behind a driver in a sleigh drawn by a graceful prancing horse. A man and a woman, dressed for the occasion, are cushioned by what appears to be a fur wrap. The female wears a white fur bonnet and matching fur jacket, while the driver is amply protected from the cold by a hat with a wind visor and ear flaps, a high-collared vest, and gloved hands that hold his riding crop. Observing this elegant equipage, a group of four children in the foreground decide to test their own mobility against that of the horse and sleigh. A stylishly turned out-girl dressed in a fancy bonnet and red cape sits erect on a cushion on a child's sled, holding the railing and clutching her doll. The leads on her sled are held by an older boy who appears to be about to race against the horse-driven sleigh. While there is no guarantee that the girl on her sled is related to the adults, her elaborate outfit and china doll complexion suggest a link. The children in the picture are all appropriately dressed for the cold. A second pair of sledders, both young boys, watches the race. One boy holds two leads for another boy who sits on an improvised sled. Bare trees offer a winter landscape element for Hennessy, while in the background a small cityscape reveals three buildings including a church with a snowy spire and pitched roof lines. The overall composition evokes high spirits and bracing weather, a mythic look at winter in New York City with the nation on the brink of Civil War.
