Black Hawk Horse Weathervane Pattern

Copied 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
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
Mediums Description
carved and painted wood
Classifications
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)