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The Story behind Peace on Earth and Goodwill to All; Horses' Christmas Party Card by HoofPrints owner Gina Keesling
I love it when someone writes a super-detailed, well researched article (complete with lots of pictures and links) about a topic that dovetails with a HoofPrints product; here's one that does just that. Perfect timing for Christmas and it fills in a ton of facts about these Humane Society parties for horses that I was not able to uncover. Eliza McGraw is a best-selling author, and her latest article in Smithsonian Magazine does not disappoint. That's here.
From the back of the card:
"Christmas Dinner for Horses" Photo taken December 1918 in Washington, D.C.
Source: Harris & Ewing Collection, Library of Congress Prints / Photographs Div. Washington, D.C.
An article from The Washington Post describes the scene:
"The Haymarket, at Twelfth and B streets northwest, was an animated scene yesterday, when market horses were made the guests of a bountiful Christmas dinner. Motion picture photographers were there, and they secured views of the horses helping themselves from a Christmas tree on which were strung corn, carrots, apples, lumps of sugar and other delicacies.
Horses have been hard at work delivering Christmas packages were given a chance to pose while partaking of a hearty dinner of oats. Every driver got a cup of hot coffee, but the horses were the real guests of honor.
Several ladies of the Washington Animal Rescue League were in charge of the dinner. They were ably assisted by Boy Scout Troop 59. Portable troughs were carried to the horses in some cases, and they enjoyed their oats in spite of the rain and the busy hauling of trees and turkeys. Automobiles were also used in carrying oats to horses at the other markets. In all, it is estimated that several hundred horses received a reward for faithful work they had done to make Christmas happy for humans."
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