1922 Le Sourire poster – Gallop D’ Essai – Le Sourire No 268 Vintage Horse Riding Wall Art – F. Rebour

1922 Le Sourire poster | Gallop D’ Essai | Le Sourire No 268 Vintage Horse Riding Wall Art | F. Rebour This delightful 1922 Le Sourire poster of a female jockey racing her brown steed around a racecourse may not seem unusual today. However, when it was originally published the French magazine cover would have been a revelation because up until the 1920s, women were not permitted to participate in the sport of horse racing either as trainers, jockeys or owners. The forward-looking image of this happy female jockey was in fact, decades ahead of the reality of women riding in horse races. The young jockey is pictured astride a chestnut thoroughbred gelding with a white blaze on its face. The racehorse, wearing the number three, is at full gallop on the turf against the white rail fence of a racecourse. The jockey is out of the saddle pushing the horse hard, its ears pinned back, as it pounds the course. The jockey is wearing red silks, white jodhpurs and racing cap and calf-length black and tan riding boots and looks as though she is enjoying every second of her ride. The illustration created by the French artist Francisque Rebour first appeared on the cover of the Juin 1922 edition of Le Sourire magazine with the caption “Gallop d’Essai” which translates as “Trial Gallop”. Le Sourire Magazine The name “Le Sourire” meaning “The Smile” has been given to two French periodicals. The first was a shortlived French monthly magazine published by the French artist Paul Gauguin which ran between August 1899 and April 1900. Over the eight-month period, Gauguin managed to produce nine editions of the magazine. It was, in part, inspired by the popular Parisian periodical Le Rire. The magazine contained satirical copy, supported by Gauguin’s pen and ink illustrations, screen print designs and woodcuts. Those first nine editions are admired by art critics and historians today and were an influence on many artists that followed. The second version was printed on 25 August 1900, four months after the demise of Gauguin’s magazine. Under the supervision of Maurice Méry, the magazine became a humorous weekly newspaper which survived from August 1899 right up to 1940. The revived magazine was known as Le Sourire de France and had more risque content. It also featured a large number of cartoons in colour and black and white and frequently featured covers with pin-up style art and jokes. Over the years several well-known French writers and artists produced work for the magazine. Between 1910 and 1930 contributions by iconic illustrators such as Georges Léonnec, Suzanne Meunier and Maurice Milliére, Étienne Le Rallic and of course, the artist behind this fabulous cover illustration Francisque Rebour. Female jockeys in horse racing Up until the 1920s women were not permitted to obtain licenses to train or race horses. They weren’t even allowed to own horses or gamble on the races themselves. Horse racing was a male-dominated sport, very much the domain of the rich and affluent gentry. Women that did ride horses only did so for pleasure and would only ride side-saddle. It was regarded as unbecoming and unladylike for a woman to straddle a horse. Riding side-saddle was even seen as a way to protect a young woman’s virginity! The first recorded race to feature a female jockey can be dated back to, what is now, York Racecourse, when British horsewoman, Alicia Thornton took part in a horse race in Knavesmire in 1804. The race is believed to have been attended by 100,000 people watching as she held the lead for most of the four-mile race. Her brother-in-law, Captain Flint eventually won the race but Alicia won the backing of the crowd with her spirited performance, attire and demeanour. In the early 20th century it became socially acceptable for women to ride astride while wearing split skirts or breeches, and the side saddle began to fall out of fashion. The rise of women’s suffrage also played a role; to the Suffragettes riding side-saddle was a symbol of male domination. And so by 1930, riding astride had become totally acceptable and the preferred method of riding for women when jumping competitions became a popular sport. The early 20th century was a time when women’s rights were slowly gaining traction. In the early 1900s, a few determined women began to challenge the norm by owning and breeding horses. The 1904, the winner of the Kentucky Derby race was won by an American thoroughbred called Elwood. The stallion was bred by Mrs J.B. Prather and was owned by Mrs Laska Durnell making history for being the first horse both bred and owned by women to win the famous American horse race. In 1920 women won the right to vote in the United States, and the newfound sense of empowerment led some women to challenge the status quo in the horse racing world. In the 1920s and 1930s women in America, Britain, France, Germany Australia and many other countries were still not allowed to train or enter races. There’s a fascinating video on Youtube that shows a Ladies’ Horse Race in France in 1929. The race, expected to take up to two weeks to complete featured 11 women racing between Paris and Cannes. Despite being dubbed a Lades’ race the footage shows that each woman was still accompanied by a man! It would, in fact, be several more decades, before the significant milestone of the first licensed female jockey was achieved. That came in 1968 when a young female rider, Kathryn Kusner sued the Maryland Racing Commission for denying her application for a jockey’s license based on gender. Winning the case Kussner became the first licensed female jockey going on to be the first licensed female jockey to ride races in Mexico, Germany, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Panama, and South Africa. Kusner earned a silver medal at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany, to become the first woman to medal in an equestrian competition. Until 1966, the Jockey Club in Great Britain did not allow women to train horses under license. The right to race took even longer with women not being granted permission by the governing body until 1972. That same year, Merial Tufnell became the first woman to win a flat race under Jockey Club rules. However, women were still segregated from men at this point, with all-women races limiting the potential of female riders to take on bigger stages. By 1974, female and male jockeys were finally on equal competition grounds. The passing of the sex discrimination act in 1975 ensured that female jockeys were finally eligible to enter the Grand National horse race. The first woman to compete in the race was a twenty one year old Charlotte Brew on her horse Barony Fort. The race on the legendary Aintree course in Merseyside ended in disappointment when Barony Fort refused the fourth last. But it didn’t matter, the precedent had been set and the trailblazing jockey had hurdled another gender barrier, helped transform horse racing, and became an instant celebrity as well as an inspiration for the female jockeys that follow in her footsteps. Throughout the history of horse racing, women have played a vital role in propelling the sport forward. Despite the industry’s male-dominated landscape, women have been steadily shattering barriers as jockeys, trainers, owners, breeders, and farm managers. In 1982, Geraldine Rees became the first woman to finish the course, riding Cheers to an eighth-place finish. Six years later, three women made their debut in the Grand National, marking a significant high point for female participation in the race. Although none of their horses crossed the finish line, Penny Ffitch-Heyes, Venetia Williams, and Gee Armytage paved the way for future generations of female riders. However, it would be another twelve years until another female jockey took a place in the Grand National stakes, with Rosemary Henderson finishing fifth in 1994. However, the sport reached a stalemate after Henderson’s success, going without a female Grand National jockey until 2005. Since then, women have increasingly partaken in the running’s of the Grand National and other major races alike. In 2005, the Grand National saw the return of a woman to the race after 11 years. Carrie Ford made an impressive fifth-place finish, tied for the best performance by a female jockey with Rosemary Henderson, the last woman to ride in the event. In 2012, Katie Walsh made history as the first female jockey to finish in the top three on Seabass. Both Walsh and Nina Carberry hold the joint record for starting in the Grand National six times. In 2021, Rachael Blackmore secured her place in horse racing history by becoming the first female jockey to win the Grand National, riding Minella Times to victory. Her landmark achievement serves as a testament to the trailblazing efforts of women in horse racing and inspires future generations to pursue their passion for the sport.