The Horse and the Country House Conference
The Attingham Trust for the Study of Historic Houses held their annual conference on the 18th and 19th of November 2022, titled - The Horse and the Country House: Art, Politics and Mobility.
Two days of excellent panels provided insight in to the importance of horses in country houses over centuries, and how this significance has been depicted in country house art, literature, cartoons, family photographs, and news stories.
Some of the fascinating talks included papers from those currently working in historic houses owned by the National Trust, Royal Household and others, on how they are innovating away from the ‘stable as cafe’ model which seems to have dominated, and are looking for ways to bring the significance of horses back in to the country house heritage narrative. They articulated that a disconnect between stable, house and landscape means much of a house’s former narrative is lost.
Carriages as symbols of wealth and status in art and in collections were brought up by several speakers, including John Stallard from the Carriage Museum of America, who explained how carriages are not simply background objects in paintings, that people in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries would have known what status were attributed to each carriage, and therefore they provide meaning to art that is often overlooked by historians. He also talked about the destruction of carriages in England during WWII because their metal was needed for the war effort, and how, although carriages were not needed so much anymore, a significant part of country house history was lost when you consider the historical and cultural significance of individual carriages.
An excellent panel on women and horses was of particular interest. Erika Munkwitz, referred to her book - Women, Horse Sports & Liberation (Routledge, 2021) - to articulate the historical shifts in country house hunting culture, and women’s role within this. Erika conveyed the ways in which women were accepted in to a male pastime at considerable risk to themselves, and how innovations in side-saddles and riding wear for women developed. Independent scholar, Helena Esser, looked at the way horses gave women agency through mobility, and how this was depicted in popular culture such as the Victorian romance novel. Charlotte Newman from National Trust property Lanhydrock House in Cornwall gave a fascinating account of Constance Agar-Robartes (1890-1936) whose childhood diaries and photos provided insight into the importance of horses for aristocratic children.
Perhaps less expected was the paper presented by Aurore Bayle-Loudet from designer brand Hermes, talking about work done in their archives and collections on Hermes’ origins as a nineteenth century saddle-maker before changing to luxury bags. We heard about the brand’s shifting history from a prestige brand synonymous with horses that innovated to still serve the elite as the motorcar replaced horses in Paris and beyond. Country house clientele (including in Britain) were important to the brand, first to shop for their for their horses, and then for their luggage. It was fascinating to think about the links between country house consumption and horses, and the roles both horses and houses played in shaping a still-existing luxury brand.
A full list of papers and speakers can be found here.