J.W. GORMAN'S HORSE DIVING EXHIBITION - ORIG 1910 RPPC VERMONT STATE FAIR Rare

Description

Original early 1900's (pen dated on the front "1910") real photo postcard showing a high diving horse exhibition performed by J. W. Gorman at the Vermont State Fair in Rutland. The card is pencil noted on the postal side; "State Fair, Vermont" The sign on the platform; reads (in reverse) "J.W. Gorman's Diving Horses - King - Queen" Unposted - Azo Stamp Box (1904 - 1918) measures: 3 1/2" x 5 1/2" Condition: Excellent vintage condition, no stains or tears (pen dated on the photo side at the lower right corner) small crease at the upper left corner, please see scanned images
J.W. GORMAN'S HORSE DIVING EXHIBITION - ORIG 1910 RPPC VERMONT STATE FAIR Rare
J.W. GORMAN'S HORSE DIVING EXHIBITION - ORIG 1910 RPPC VERMONT STATE FAIR Rare
Click images to enlarge
Description
Original early 1900's (pen dated on the front "1910") real photo postcard showing a high diving horse exhibition performed by J. W. Gorman at the Vermont State Fair in Rutland. The card is pencil noted on the postal side; "State Fair, Vermont" The sign on the platform; reads (in reverse) "J.W. Gorman's Diving Horses - King - Queen"
Unposted - Azo Stamp Box (1904 - 1918)
measures: 3 1/2" x 5 1/2"
C
ondition: Excellent vintage condition, no stains or tears (pen dated on the photo side at the lower right corner) small crease at the upper left corner, please see scanned images
From the Internet: "The early 20th century show featured a couple of white pure-blood horses that nose-dove from a high platform into the water at the Hanlan ferry terminal. The famed show was brought by J.W. Gorman (from Boston) to the amusement park of the Hanlan family estate on the Centre Island (Toronto, Ontario). The partners of the show, John Whalen and George Holloway, also owned the horses — one called King and the other Queen. See the other picture in the Gallery. The show had likely travelled to New York and other places in New England. The pictures are dated between 1905 and 1908. Riders were also introduced to other inspiring high-diving acts. In February, 1907, a dentist-turned-performer called Doc Carver, organized a diving-horse show at Electric Park, San Antonio, Texas. In 1924, Sonora Webster (later married to Dr. Carver) became the firstwoman to fall 40 feet on horseback into a tank of water at Steel Pier in Atlantic City. Sonora and her sister Arnette continued to ride in the show from the hard times of the Depression into the Second World War. The show and Sonora inspired the 1991 Disney movie, "Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken." The high-diving act attraction was discontinued in 1978 after animal-rights activists complained. In Sonora's autobiography, "A Girl and Five Brave Horses," she insisted the animals loved the dives and were not forced to jump."
Wikipeida; "A diving horse is an attraction that was popular in the mid-1880s, in which a horse would dive into a pool of water, sometimes from as high as 60 feet. William "Doc" Carver "invented" horse diving exhibitions. Allegedly, in 1881 Carver was crossing a bridge over Platte River (Nebraska) which partially collapsed. His horse fell/dove into the waters below, inspiring Carver to develop the diving horse act. Carver trained various animals and went on tour. His son, Al Floyd Carver, constructed the ramp and tower and Lorena Carver was the first rider. Sonora Webster joined the show in 1924. She later married Al Floyd Carver. The show became a permanent fixture at Atlantic City's popular venue Steel Pier. There, Sonora, Al and Lorena continued the show following his death. In 1931, Sonora and her horse Red Lips lost their balance on the platform. Sonora survived the fall, but was blinded due to detached retinas in both eyes. She continued horse-diving while blind. A film based on her life, Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken, was released in 1991 and was based on her memoir A Girl and Five Brave Horses. Animal welfare. A horse diving show was an in-residence act held at New Jersey's Steel Pier. Pressure from animal rights activists and declining demand led to the act being shuttered in the 1970s. Although there was a brief resumption of the act at the pier in 1993, it was again shut down amid opposition. The horses sometimes dove four times a day, seven days a week. An attempt in 2012 to revive the shows at Steel Pier was halted when animal welfare advocates petitioned the owners not to hold the shows. The president of the Humane Society of the United States stated: "This is a merciful end to a colossally stupid idea." Atlantic City's Steel Pier was also used to mount a measuring device (tide gauge) to monitor changes in the sea level of the Atlantic Ocean. However, changes in sea level at the pier turned out to have been caused by the weight of the crowds gathered to watch the diving horses. Measurements from 1929 to 1978 indicated sea level rise – when the crowds were regular and caused the pier to settle slightly in the soft, sandy bottom – except during the horse-jumping hiatus from 1945 to 1953 when the lack of regular crowds allowed the pier to rise slightly"
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