From the collection of:
International Museum of the Horse || VAM Home

This portrait depicts the chestnut colt Whirlaway, who was foaled at Kentucky’s Calumet Farm in 1938. Nicknamed Mr. Longtail because of his unusually long, beautiful tail, Whirlaway won the Triple Crown in 1941. He was also named Horse of the Year in 1941 and 1942.

About the Artist

Horses were a natural artistic subject for Franklin Voss, who was a great hunting and racing enthusiast himself. Voss studied for seven years at the Art Student’s League of New York, one of the most important art schools of the day. His education included the basics of composition, color, and light, with particular attention to anatomy—as is evident in the striking accuracy of his equine portraits. He painted the great horses of his day, including Man O’ War, and is credited by many as the best sporting artist of the 20th century. Voss maintained that he painted each one of his approximately 500 commissioned portraits from life, never a photograph. Voss died doing what he loved, foxhunting with his hounds.

Classroom Ideas

Discussion: Think about the reasons one might paint or commission a portrait. Do the same reasons apply if the sitter is an animal? Compare this portrait of Whirlaway with that of Henry Clay by William Frye, viewable in the Kentucky Historical Society collection of the Kentucky Virtual Art Museum. How do these two portraits compare?

Activity: Kentucky is known as the horse capital of the world. Find out how Kentucky gained this reputation. Why are horses so important in Kentucky? What makes Kentucky an ideal location to raise and race horses? How important are horses to the state’s economy? Can you find other states or countries where horses play such an important role?

Links

Read several brief articles about Voss and see examples of his work at the Museum of Hounds and Hunting at Morven Park.
[www.morvenpark.org/voss.htm]

View photographs and learn more about Whirlaway at the Thoroughbred Champions gallery and the Unofficial Thoroughbred Hall of Fame.
[www.thoroughbredchampions.com/biographies/whirlway.htm]
[sky.prohosting.com/spiletta/UTHOF/whirlaway.html]