Black Hawk Horse Weathervane Pattern

Henry Leach, Black Hawk Horse Weathervane Pattern, 1871-1872, carved and painted wood, 22 x 34 ¹⁄₂ x 3 ⁵⁄₈ in. (55.9 x 87.6 x 9.3 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.358

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Artwork Details

Title: Black Hawk Horse Weathervane Pattern
Artist: Attributed to Henry Leach
Date: 1871-1872
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum
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2nd Floor
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East Wing
Dimensions: 22 x 34 ¹⁄₂ x 3 ⁵⁄₈ in. (55.9 x 87.6 x 9.3 cm.)
Credit Line: Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums: wood
Mediums Description: carved and painted wood
Classifications: Sculpture
Subjects: Animal — horse
Object Number: 1986.65.358
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.65.358

Artwork Description

Henry Leach probably based this design on an early lithographic portrait of the racehorse Black Hawk, a popular winner of the 1840s and subject of many weather vanes. The manufacturer L. W. Cushing and Sons used this wooden pattern to create a hollow iron mold, from which many copper vanes could be produced. (Lynda Hartigan, Made with Passion, 1990)