The Center Row of Horses
Of the 30 Horses, the outer row and center rows tell the stories of notable Virginians.
June Carter Cash Horse- Born in 1929 Maces Springs, VA, June Carter Cash was a five-time Grammy award-winning as American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, comedian, and author who was a member of the Carter Family and the second wife of singer Johnny Cash. She played guitar, banjo, harmonica, and autoharp, and acted in several films and television shows.
Postcard styling courtesy of L.D. Kirklin Photography.
June Carter Cash Horse- detail of saddle. June Carter Cash loved flowers and “Wildwood Flower” was a favored song of the Carter Family and was the title of her last solo album. The yellow embellishments on the saddle resemble designs on one of her guitars.
Photograph courtesy of Gail Napora. C2008
June Carter Cash Horse- detail of saddle: caladiums and guitar
Photograph courtesy of Gail Napora. C2008
George Mason Horse- Born in Fairfax County, Mason is known as the “Father of the Bill of Rights,” which was based on his earlier document, the Virginia Declaration of Rights.
Photograph courtesy of Gail Napora. C2008
George Mason Horse- He is considered one of the nation’s Founding Fathers despite the fact that he refused to sign the original US Constitution because it lacked explicitly stated individual rights.
Photograph courtesy of Gail Napora. C2008
Lewis & Clark Horse- I had really hit my stride on this one, telling the story of two Virginians’ expedition across the North American Continent? Let’s do it. The outer side of the saddle blanket is a stylized map of the Missouri River as it spans the newly purchased Louisiana territory and beyond to the Pacific. Meriwether Lewis (1774-1809) b. Albemarle County and William Clark (1770-1838) b. Caroline County led the Corps of Discovery, studying the native tribes, botany, and geology of the country they encountered. The Corps consisted of 42 members, including Shosone interpreter Sacagawea, Clark’s slave York, and Lewis’ black Newfoundland dog, Seaman.
Photograph courtesy of Gail Napora. C2008
Willa Cather Horse- Cather was born near Winchester and at the age of 10, her family left the farm on which they lived for six generations and moved to Nebraska. She became a well-educated woman whose writings reflected life on the Nebraska prairie. Best known for her novel “O, Pioneers!" Cather is a symbol of strong feminist penmanship. I included her as a “Virginian” because for some Virginia is only a starting place for an incredible life and perhaps I wanted to paint a rolling prairie with windmills.
Photograph courtesy of Gail Napora. C2008
The JEB Stuart Horse- James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart, born 1833 in Patrick County, VA was a United States Army officer who became a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. Known for his mastery of reconnaissance and the use of cavalry in support of offensive operations, he became the trusted eyes and ears of Robert E. Lee's army.
Photograph courtesy of Gail Napora. C2008
The JEB Stuart Horse- saddle detail- he cultivated a cavalier image (red-lined gray cape, yellow sash, hat cocked to the side with an ostrich plume, red flower in his lapel, often sporting cologne) which inspired Southern morale.
Photograph courtesy of Gail Napora. C2008
The JEB Stuart Horse- saddle detail- in reference to his ostentatious image, the saddle blanket is meant to resemble a gray cape flapping back to reveal its red lining. In tones of red, this side depicts the First Battle of Bull Run where Stuart’s leadership of First Virginia Calvary earned his promotion to major general.
Photograph courtesy of Gail Napora. C2008
Woodrow Wilson Horse- Born in Staunton, Woodrow Wilson was the 28th president of the United States. As president during the Progressive Era, he oversaw American movement in World War I, and outlined his foreign policy intentions in the Fourteen Points which led to the formation of the League of Nations. Fourteen stars adorn his chest plate to represent this document.
Photograph courtesy of Gail Napora. C2008
Woodrow Wilson Horse- detail: He led America through the First World War, the 17th, 18th, and 19th amendments to the Constitution were passed, including prohibition of alcohol sales and women’s suffrage.
Photograph courtesy of Gail Napora. C2008
Woodrow Wilson Horse- detail: During his administration, the first trans-Atlantic flight occurred, the first radio tower was erected, and the Panama Canal was opened. All of which I tried to capture on the saddle blanket.
Photograph courtesy of Gail Napora. C2008
Belle Boyd Horse- Born in Martinsburg, VA (now West Virginia), Isabella Maria Boyd was called the Cleopatra of the Session for her acts as a Confederate spy during the Civil War. She was awarded the Southern Cross of Honor for the valuable information she provided Stonewall Jackson and Turner Ashby about Union troop movements. She also became Jackson’s honorary aide-de-camp. After the war, Boyd traveled to England to become an actress. She later returned to the States and gave dramatic lectures about her exploits as a Civil War Spy.
Photograph courtesy of Gail Napora. C2008
Belle Boyd Horse- saddle detail: imagining of Boyd relaying critical information to Stonewall Jackson in 1862.
Photograph courtesy of Gail Napora. C2008
Belle Boyd Horse- saddle detail: portrait. For the saddle blankets on this horse, I brought the textures of a Civil War era woman’s clothing- lace collar, calico cotton.
Photograph courtesy of Gail Napora. C2008
Robert E Lee Horse- Born the son of Revolutionary War officer Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee III in 1907 in Stratford Hall, VA, Robert E Lee was an American and Confederate soldier best known as a commander of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.
Postcard styling courtesy of L.D. Kirklin Photography.
Robert E Lee Horse- Lee chose to follow his home state, despite his desire for the country to remain intact and an offer of a senior Union command. He saw himself as a Virginian before he was an American. After the war, he became president of Washington University in Lexington, VA and supported reconciliation between the North and South.
Photograph courtesy of Gail Napora. C2008
Stonewall Jackson Horse- Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson was born in Clarksburg, VA (now West Virginia) and was a Confederate general during the Civil War. He was the most revered commander after Robert E Lee. He attended West Point, fought for the US Army in the Mexican-American War, and taught at Virginia Military Institute before becoming Lee’s right hand in the Civil War. Jackson’s discipline at the First Battle of Bull Run earned him his nickname. The troops rallied around the man who stood through the battle like a stone wall.
Photograph courtesy of Gail Napora. C2008
Stonewall Jackson Horse- The first two horses I painted (two at a time, I could work on one while the other dried) were this one and the Robert E Lee horse. I hadn’t hit my stride yet when it came to the potential for storytelling on the saddle blankets and I also didn’t yet have a book on horse breeds to add variety to the herd. I knew that Jackson rode his wife’s red sorrel mare, Little Sorrel, into battle while Lee rode a grey American Saddlebred named Traveller.
Photograph courtesy of Gail Napora. C2008
Stonewall Jackson Horse
Photograph courtesy of Gail Napora. C2008
Turner Ashby Horse- Born in Fauquier County and nicknamed the Black Knight of the Confederacy, he was a promising cavalry general whose vigorous reconnaissance contributed to the success of Jackson’s 1862 Valley campaign.
Photograph courtesy of Gail Napora. C2008
Turner Ashby Horse- Ashby died early in the Civil War when he was shot in a cavalry attack in Harrisonburg. A nearby high school is named after him. Ever one to strike a dramatic image, Ashby was often seen on a horse of pure black or white. This was also one of the horses painted early in the project, as demonstrated by the simplistic paint job.
Photograph courtesy of Gail Napora. C2008