A Forged Painting and A Forged Story to Go With It

Interesting bit of art forgery here, courtesy of the New York Times:













"For 32 years, a portrait of a serene Mary Todd Lincoln hung in the governor’s mansion in Springfield, Ill., signed by Francis Bicknell Carpenter, a celebrated painter who lived at the White House for six months in 1864.

"The story behind the picture was compelling: Mrs. Lincoln had Mr. Carpenter secretly paint her portrait as a surprise for the president, but he was assassinated before she had a chance to present it to him.

"Now it turns out that both the portrait and the touching tale accompanying it are false."

Here's the link.

My eBook "Chasing the Triple Crown"

Here's a link to my article length eBook, Chasing the Triple Crown, which is available on Amazon.com!

I hate to engage in shameless commerce, but check it out!

My Editor and Publisher, Judy Clabes, says:


Bob Treadway is a storyteller -- and an engaging, entertaining one. He'll draw you in and keep you there right to the end. Whether you love horses, as I do, or you just plain love a good story well told, Bob delivers. His love of history, Kentucky, horses and turn of phrase . . .well, it's just part of the package. Enjoy!

-- Judith Clabes, Editor and Publisher, KyForward.com,
and member, Kentucky Civil Rights Hall of Fame

Abby Marlatt's Peace Leaflet: Kentucky History Photo of the Week

This is the pamphlet that Abby Marlatt handed out in Lexington fifty years ago this week. It cost Dr. Marlatt her career. It looks almost innocent, compared to political polemics today.

How Lexington Put Lexington On the Map

I wanted to share a link to my latest  column on KyForward.com!

We talk about the origins of the Thoroughbred breeding industry in Kentucky in the 19th Century, and about the great stallion Lexington, who put Lexington (the town) on the map.

Enjoy!

The Theft of Asteroid and Other Civil War Oddities

As we celebrate, if that's what we're doing, the sesquicentennial of the fighting of the United States Civil War, I have examined the war's impact on my own great great great grandfather, Capt. E. B. Treadway. I also wrote an article that discusses the Civil War's impact on Thoroughbred racing.

Enjoy!

The Civil War's Impact on Kentucky's Thoroughbred Industry

Honest Dick Tate: A Victorian Crime

Here's a link to my column on one of the great crimes of Kentucky history, when Kentucky state treasurer "Honest Dick" Tate got on a train with most of the state's money, and neither he nor the money was heard from again . . .

Honest Dick Tate: He Took the Money and Ran