Horse and Uncle Sam Driver

Copied Unidentified (American), Horse and Uncle Sam Driver, 1850-1860, copper, length: 25 14 in. (64.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1966.45
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Horse and Uncle Sam Driver
Artist
Unidentified (American)
Date
1850-1860
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
length: 25 14 in. (64.0 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Mediums
Mediums Description
copper
Classifications
Keywords
  • Architecture — vehicle — cart
  • Animal — horse
  • Dress — accessory — hat
  • Figure male — full length
Object Number
1966.45

Artwork Description

The first known weather vane sat on top of the Tower of the Winds in Athens during the first century BC. The rooster weather vane, or weathercock, appeared a thousand years later when a papal edict announced that every church must carry the symbol of a rooster. This was to remind the faithful of Peter's betrayal of Jesus, who said that the cock would not crow until Peter had denied him three times. In the nineteenth century, people made weather vanes showing everyday activities. Horses represented transportation, sport, and social status, and many craftsmen made weather vanes of record-winning racehorses. (Charles Klamkin, Weather Vanes, 1973)