Franklin Brooke Voss (American, 1880–1953), Tom Allison, Huntsman of Meadow Brook Hounds, 1934, 12 x 16 1/8 inches, National Sporting Library & Museum, Gift of Katrina Hickox Becker, 2020
Franklin Brooke Voss counted among his patrons a Who’s Who of some of the most successful and affluent people in the United States in the early-to-mid-20th century, including the likes of John Hay Whitney, J. Watson Webb, Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, Alfred Vanderbilt, Walter Jeffords, F. Ambrose Clark, and Emily T. DuPont. These patrons, however, had something other than wealth in common. They were all equestrians in a golden age of turf and field sports, and just as importantly, they were supporters of the arts.
Voss was born in New York City in 1880. He began drawing equine subjects while still in school and studied with George Bridgman at the Art Students League of New York in New York City for seven years at the turn of the century. Upon completing his education, Voss began painting by commission.
Voss was commissioned to paint many of the leading steeplechase and flat racehorses of the day. He also painted foxhunting, polo, and coaching compositions; many works featured the portraits of prominent horse owners, trainers, and riders. Voss completed over five hundred works, and he undoubtedly became a successful equine portraitist to discerning members of the turf and field because he shared their passion for and knowledge of horses, equine sports, and art.
Franklin Brooke Voss (American, 1880–1953), (above) Portrait of Mrs. William C. Langley, Aside on Sandown, oil on canvas, 28 x 36 inches, National Sporting Library & Museum, Gift of Mrs. Eleanor Langley Fletcher, 1962
Voss came from a family of equestrians and grew up on Long Island in the midst of what was then prime foxhunting country. His father was a founder of the Rockaway Hunt Club on Long Island, and his uncle formed the Elkridge Hounds in Monkton, Maryland, so it is not surprising that Voss was himself a polo player in his youth and an avid foxhunter and horseman. Several members of the Meadow Brook Hounds, the leading pack on Long Island, with whom Voss also subscribed, became his patrons and repeatedly commissioned works from him. Portrait of Mrs. William C. Langley Riding Aside on Sandown, 1921, and other horse portraits were all painted for Elida B. and William C. Langley, both members of the Meadow Brook.
Franklin Brooke Voss (American, 1880–1953), (above) Mr. Thomas’ Foxhounds Leaving Huntland Kennels, November 1919, oil on canvas, 16 x 24 inches, National Sporting Library & Museum, Gift of Dr. Betsee Parker, 2011; (below) Mr. Thomas’ Foxhounds in the Piedmont Country, 1919, oil on canvas, 16 x 24 inches, National Sporting Library & Museum, Gift of Dr. Betsee Parker, 2011
Many of Voss’s works were also reproduced as illustrations, including Mr. Thomas’ Foxhounds in Piedmont Country (below), also known as Gone Away Across the Blue Grass in Full Cry. The painting was one of a pair (above and below) commissioned by the author Joseph B. Thomas and was the frontispiece for Thomas’s 1937 book, Hounds and Hunting Through the Ages.
Mr. Thomas’ Foxhounds in the Piedmont Country, 1919, oil on canvas, 16 x 24 inches, National Sporting Library & Museum, Gift of Dr. Betsee Parker, 2011
Franklin Brooke Voss (American, 1880–1953), Alligator, 1929, oil on canvas, 28 x 36 inches, National Sporting Library & Museum, Gift of the children of Peter Winants, Sr. (July 31, 2009)
Voss painted and hunted in much of the Mid-Atlantic and in England throughout his life, but he continued to have strong ties to and complete many works around Long Island and Maryland. Alligator, 1929, the portrait of the winning steeplechaser remembered for going on to win both the 1929 Maryland Hunt Cup and the 1930 International Gold Cup after falling and being remounted in each race, was painted at the Meadow Brook course for owner Maud K. Stevenson of Long Island. She married S. Bryce Wing, a famous Maryland horseman, foxhunter, and longtime friend and patron of the painter.
It is fitting that in the end, Voss, a life-long equestrian and artist, would die of a heart attack on a day out with the Elkridge-Harford pack surrounded by his friends and supporters while foxhunting in Monkton, MD in 1953.
Posted September 9, 2021
Claudia Pfeiffer is Deputy Director and George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Curator at the National Sporting Library & Museum, Middleburg, Virginia. She has held the position since 2012 when it was first established by the George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Foundation. Her primary focus is the research, design, interpretation, writing, and installation of exhibitions.
This story has been republished with the kind permission of the author and the National Sporting Library & Museum, publisher of the original version.