This piece goes along with the first one we put up this evening (about Green Mountain Mogan and Governor Banks):
“The Unidentified Morgan Stereograph”
Research done by Bruce Orser; written by Elizabeth Curler
Back in the 1980’s Bruce Orser, while doing research on Green Mountain Morgan, was informed by a local (Mass.) librarian that there was a rumor that there was a photograph of then Massachusetts Governor Nathaniel Banks with Green Mountain Morgan during the 1859 Massachusetts encampment. It is not known if he was riding the horse or standing with him. Efforts to locate such a photograph have proved to be fruitless. Recently, however, Bruce found a stereograph of interest. Stereographs, popular in the 19th century, provided a 3D image of a picture viewed through a stereopticon.
The stereograph depicts a military officer on a horse of strong Morgan type, dating to the mid-19th century. The stereograph was found on a dealer’s website amidst a grouping of stereographs related to the 1859 Massachusetts encampment. On the reverse side of the stereograph, someone wrote “Gov. Banks” in pencil. Other writing is evident but illegible. Attempts to try to identify the officer as either Governor Banks or U.S. Army General John Wool proved to be unsuccessful.
The horse bears a very strong resemblance to the Green Mountain Morgan woodcut. The horse appears to be a chestnut and has white on both hind feet. Green Mountain had no white markings.
