From riches to (almost) rags (1911)
From riches to (almost) rags ...
The Harris & Ewing photo from 1911 shows the famous horseowner Mr. Richard McGrann (left) and Mrs. McGrann entertaining their guests at the Washington D.C. Horse Show in 1911. (The man second from the left is the minister (ambassador) of Belgium, count de Buisseret, followed by Mrs. McGrann,
Mr. William E. Ellis and Sir Robert Hatfield.)
Only a year later (October 4, 1912) the Washington Post reported:
"Richard B. McGrann, who, just a few years ago, was hobnobbing with aristocracy and trading horses with kings, while New York´s gay Broadway glowed with the glittering stories of his achievements as a "spendthrift", has been reduced to - to sausages.
The man who married miss Amy Penn (descendant to the original William), and started out about a decade ago to live the life of a millionaire in the highest stratum of society, is now personal conductor of a plant in Lancaster, Pa., where they turn out scrapple and - and sausages. Last week all his horses and fancy livestock were sold to satisfy creditors.
According to his friends (and "Dick" McGrann has hosts of friends, because he played his game fairly andsquarely) his case is simply that of a man who tried to live too high and too fast on insufficient capital.
Pretty Mrs. McGrann is the loyal and devoted aid of her husband. There are none of the brilliant entertainments, which used to brighten their home in the days when his famous horses were the talk of the international society, but perhaps there is a closer and happier hearthside bond to replace the glitter of the spendthrift days."
My restoration and colorization of the original image in the Library of Congress archive (Harris & Ewing collection).
From riches to (almost) rags (1911)
From riches to (almost) rags ...
The Harris & Ewing photo from 1911 shows the famous horseowner Mr. Richard McGrann (left) and Mrs. McGrann entertaining their guests at the Washington D.C. Horse Show in 1911. (The man second from the left is the minister (ambassador) of Belgium, count de Buisseret, followed by Mrs. McGrann,
Mr. William E. Ellis and Sir Robert Hatfield.)
Only a year later (October 4, 1912) the Washington Post reported:
"Richard B. McGrann, who, just a few years ago, was hobnobbing with aristocracy and trading horses with kings, while New York´s gay Broadway glowed with the glittering stories of his achievements as a "spendthrift", has been reduced to - to sausages.
The man who married miss Amy Penn (descendant to the original William), and started out about a decade ago to live the life of a millionaire in the highest stratum of society, is now personal conductor of a plant in Lancaster, Pa., where they turn out scrapple and - and sausages. Last week all his horses and fancy livestock were sold to satisfy creditors.
According to his friends (and "Dick" McGrann has hosts of friends, because he played his game fairly andsquarely) his case is simply that of a man who tried to live too high and too fast on insufficient capital.
Pretty Mrs. McGrann is the loyal and devoted aid of her husband. There are none of the brilliant entertainments, which used to brighten their home in the days when his famous horses were the talk of the international society, but perhaps there is a closer and happier hearthside bond to replace the glitter of the spendthrift days."
My restoration and colorization of the original image in the Library of Congress archive (Harris & Ewing collection).