Horse brass, c.1860-1870
Alice the elephant at London Zoo inspired this horse brass showing an elephant. Alice and her partner Jumbo were the zooâs most famous inhabitants in the 1860s.
Jumbo was especially famous. Articles about him were printed in popular newspapers. He was modelled in pottery and appears on several horse brass designs. Alice only appears on this design.
Alice and Jumboâs story had a sad end when Jumbo was sold to an American circus, splitting the couple up.
Jumbo being sold to the circus captured the publicâs imagination. Popular songs were written, like this one:
Jumbo said to Alice âI love youâ.
Alice said to Jumbo âI donât believe you do,
If you really loved me as you say you do,
You would not go to Yankeeland and leave me in the Zooâ.
Horse brasses are ornaments for decorating the harness of a heavy horse. They were most popular from the 1850s until the 1930s.
Heavy horses were a vital part of the economy in the 1800s. They were used in agriculture, forestry, industry and transport. They pulled ploughs in the fields, and carts for brewers, coalmen and corn merchants.
Horse brasses were mainly associated with farming and the countryside. One of the highlights of the ploughmanâs year was the ploughing match. His horses appeared with their harnesses glittering with polished horse brasses. Brasses are still seen on horses at agricultural shows.
The earliest brasses were hand made by hammering sheets of brass. They had simple designs. The development of brass casting around 1825 allowed complex designs to be used. The town of Walsall in the West Midlands was famous for its brass foundries. Many brasses were made there.
To make cast brasses like this one, a pattern was carved in wood. A sand mould was prepared from this pattern and molten metal was poured into it. Any rough edges were removed with a file. The brass was given a final polish before being sent to the harness maker.
