The Trotter c. 1860

This is "The Trotter," painted by Charles S. Humphreys sometime in the mid-19th century using traditional oil paints on canvas. What I find particularly interesting about this work is how Humphreys celebrates the material culture of speed and status. The sleek, lightweight carriage, meticulously rendered, speaks to the innovations of the industrial age and the leisure it afforded the upper class. Consider the time and labor involved in breeding a horse like this, building a racing buggy, and tailoring the gentleman’s suit! Each element represents a complex network of production, skill, and consumption. The artist is engaging with traditions of portraiture, but also that of sign-painting and other vernacular depictions. By focusing on these details, Humphreys elevates the everyday, blurring the lines between fine art and the craftsmanship that underpinned 19th-century American society. He asks us to consider not just what is depicted, but how it came to be, and what that reveals about the values of the time.