Artwork
Budd Doble Driving Goldsmith Maid at Belmont Driving Park
Budd Doble Driving Goldsmith Maid at Belmont Driving Park is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist Charles S. Humphreys. It dates from 1876 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Charles S.
About this work
This painting shows a harness race at Belmont Driving Park. Two brown horses pull a red sulky with a driver in a top hat. The track is grassy, the sky is clear.
This was painted in 1876. It’s one of the few surviving scenes of early harness racing. The figures are small but full of life.
Check out more American sporting art at the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
Overview
Charles S. Humphreys completed this oil on canvas in 1876. The work captures a moment at Belmont Driving Park, depicting a harness race with two brown horses pulling a red sulky. A driver in a top hat steers the vehicle across a grassy track beneath a clear sky. The composition is modest in scale but conveys the energy of the event.
Subject & Meaning
The scene focuses on a competitive harness race, a popular pastime in late‑19th‑century America. By portraying the horses, sulky, and driver together, the painting emphasizes the coordination between animal and rider, while the open, sunlit setting underscores the sport’s outdoor, communal character.
Technique & Style
Humphreys employs a restrained palette of earth tones and reds, rendering the horses with careful attention to musculature and movement. The brushwork is relatively tight around the figures, contrasting with looser handling of the surrounding grass and sky, a balance that highlights the central action without overwhelming detail.
History & Provenance
Created in 1876, the canvas is among the limited visual records of early harness racing in the United States. Its survival offers insight into sporting culture of the period. The work has been held in private collections before entering public exhibition, most recently displayed alongside other American sporting artworks.
Context
During the 1870s, Belmont Driving Park was a prominent venue for harness racing, attracting both participants and spectators from the surrounding region. Humphreys’ depiction aligns with a broader trend in American art that documented leisure activities, reflecting the growing middle‑class interest in organized sport.
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