by Dave Oxford

Saratoga Springs, NY — The Saratoga Harness Hall of Fame & Museum is pleased to announce the opening of “The Story of Harness Racing by Currier & Ives.”

This travelling exhibit, on loan from the national Harness Hall of Fame & Museum in Goshen, N.Y., consists of a limited set of 33 reproduction prints from original Currier & Ives lithographs, plus four reader boards. The scenes illustrate harness racing’s important role in American culture and history. Prints depicting great trotting horses, bucolic mid-18th century scenes and comedic adventures convey a picturesque view of Americana prior to the advent and development of photography.

The “Currier & Ives” has most recently been on display at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Ill.; the Long Island Museum in Stony Brook, N.Y.; the Museé du Trot in Grosbois, France; Hazel Park Raceway; the Wayne County (Indiana) Historical Museum and Historic Walnford in Upper Freehold, N.J.

The exhibit is on loan through Sept. 3.

Museum hours are Tuesday-Saturday from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

The Saratoga Harness Hall of Fame & Museum is located at 352 Jefferson St, Saratoga Springs, N.Y. and is adjacent to the Jefferson Street entrance of Saratoga Casino. For more information, contact the Museum at 518.587.4210 during regular business hours.