The Unrivalled Express Rider
PrinterPrinted by
John H. Bufford
American, active 1835 - 1871
DraftsmanDrawn by
Joseph E. Baker
American, 1837 - 1914
Date1857-1860
MediumLithography; black and tan printer's ink on wove paper
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (image height x width): 9 5/8 x 14 15/16in. (24.4 x 37.9cm)
Sheet (height x width): 10 7/8 x 16 3/16in. (27.6 x 41.1cm)
Sheet (height x width): 10 7/8 x 16 3/16in. (27.6 x 41.1cm)
ClassificationsGraphics
Credit LineConnecticut Museum of Culture and History collection
DescriptionA man wearing an overcoat, a scarf, and a hat rides a horse though the snow. A bleak winter landscape with a few leafless trees is in the background with a railroad train at the far right. A road sign behind the rider reads "50 MILES TO / HARTFORD" "10 MILES TO / WORCESTER." At the far left, three men stand outside a barn and a tavern with a hanging tavern sign. They hold a fresh horse.
Object number2014.100.5
InscribedOn recto, lower center, beneath image, printed in black ink, "THE UNRIVALLED EXPRESS RIDER, / GINERY TWITCHELL, / WHO RODE FROM WORCESTER TO HARTFORD, A DISTANCE OF SIXTY MILES IN 3 HOURS & 20 MINUTES, THROUGH A DEEP SNOW, JAN. 23RD 1846."On verso, lower right, in pencil, accession numberNotesDate Note: 1846 is the date of Twitchell's ride. The lithograph must have been published after 1857 when Baker is known to have been working in Bufford's shop and 1860, when he appears in New York City. Bufford was at 313 Washington Street from 1856 to 1864. Twitchell's ride may be a fabrication; there is no mention of it in the Hartford Courant.
Subject Note: Ginery Twitchell (1811-1883) was manager of a stage line serving much of New England. In 1848, he became assistant superintendent for the Boston and Worcester Railroad, and later became president of the Atchinson, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad. He also served three terms in Congress as a representative from Massachusetts.
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