HD Beach No. 44 - B "Pharaoh's Horses"

General Comments
Of all the stock images, either in the Coshocton catalog or from other manufacturers, this one may be the most reproduced in non-tray format (for trays that might be Sir Edwin Landseer’s “Monarch of the Glen.” (see image below)

We’ve encounter both colored (a number of different variations) and black and white print versions, and number of reproduction paintings. In fact, you can still purchase current reproductions of this print from various sources on the internet.

Pharoah’s horses are mentioned in the Bible in Exodus 15:19 when the Israelites have departed from Egypt and Pharoah decides to pursue them:

"For the horses of Pharaoh went with his chariots and his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought back the waters of the sea upon them. But the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea."
New King James Version

The design depicts the heads of three identical white Arabian stallions, which are in fact known to be the same horse, Imaum.   Imaum was originally owned by Queen Victoria but later sold by Tattersall’s where he was purchased by the artist J.F. Herring. Herring kept him for the remainder of his life and used him as a model for many of his paintings including ‘Pharaoh’s Horses’.   In the British art journal of the time, Pharaoh’s Horses were listed as one of Herring’s most popular images. The image found its way into many American and European homes by the late-1800s as a mezzotint engraving. His painting is a circular composition of three white, charging Arabian horses. This painting was thought to be the oldest rendition of Pharaoh’s Horses when it auctioned at Christie’s in London for $445,500 in 1986. Pharaoh’s Horses has been known as an engraving and marketing logo in America since the Civil War. The image was sold in the 1902 Sears catalog for 75 cents, thereby making its way into many homes across the country.

John Frederick Herring Sr. (1795 – 1865) was a painter, sign maker and coachman in Victorian England and probably most famous for the 1848 painting "Pharoah's Chariot Horses" usually referred to simply as “Pharoah’s Horses.” Herring had a lifelong fascination with horses, and he was employed as a painter of inn signs and coach insignia, using his spare time to paint portraits of horse for inn parlors and racehorses for wealthy customers.

Along with Sir Edwin Landseer (famous for “Monarch in the Glen”) he as one of the most eminent animal painters of mid-nineteenth century Europe and was appointed the Animal Painter to the Duchess of Kent and later Queen Victoria.    Herring’s paintings were very popular, and many were engraved, including his 33 winners of the St. Leger and his 21 winners of the Derby. Herring exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1818–1865, at the British Institution from 1830–1865, and at the Society of British Artists in 1836-1852, where Herring became Vice-President in 1842.

Size, Shape and Message Placement
This design shows up most frequently as a tip tray; actually, they are far more common than full sized trays. All of the full-sized trays are flat-pie shaped in a unique 12.5” size (discussed further below from Hager’s article) with the exception of an oval version from Buffalo Brewing of Sacramento (who also issued the flat-pie version). There are two rim styles—a dark gray version with a ribbon design (which we believe is the original rim style) and a solid gold version (which we believe is a later issuance). Generally speaking, the gray rim versions do not have advertising text on the rim but on the face in gold print. The gold rimmed versions have black advertising text on the rim. The oval Buffalo Brewing example features a round image with red text on the “unused” part of the surface of the tray.

Hager & Price
This is the last/latest Beach tray included in Hager’s catalog. In the body of the article Hager groups this design with two other non-stock designs (one from a brewery and one from Coca-Cola) and makes this observation:

"These three trays have somewhat similar rims, particularly the two on the left. All three are by H.D. Beach. The tray on the right (Pharoah’s Horses) is marked only with the number 44. These three trays are characterized by their 12.5” diameter, which is quite unusual. The majority of the circular trays are 12”, 13” or 13.5” in diameter. These 12.5” trays also have a somewhat wider flat part of the rim, which is quite noticeable, even in the scale of this picture."

Pharoah's Horses is the only Beach stock design with this particular 12.5’ form factor (although there are a few non-stock trays ones). This is one of the most popular Beach stock designs and prices fluctuate significantly depending on condition and issuer. Stock samples and non-brewers tend to be in the double figures. Brewers range from the mid-triple figures for more common examples up to $3,500 for more obscure examples.