1867 – The Music-Loving Horses

“The Music-Loving Horses” is a full page book plate image taken from Mary Howitt’s book, “Our Four-Footed Friends”, published by S.W.Partridge, in 1867. In this case, the anecdote accompanying the illustration is not so much about the horses who loved to hear music as the old farmer, a Mr Goldilands, who was known to be a kind and gentle-hearted man, firm in his resolves, judicious in all that he did, and considerate. All the animals on his farm were of the most beautiful kind,  both fat and sleek, strong and healthy, gentle and affectionate and well trained at the same time. His main secret to success, especially with horses, was to find out what music the horses loved the most. He said that all horses respond well to music and work better when they hear bells ringing. To this end, many of the teams of horses on the farm had bells tinkling on their harnesses. This image is available in A4, A3 and A2 sizing options.