Nathaniel Currier, born Roxbury, MA - Flora Temple and Highland Maid - unknown - T-Shirt

This hand-colored lithograph captures a trotting match between two celebrated harness racing horses, Flora Temple and Highland Maid, at full stride on the track.

Visual Elements & Composition

The horses and their light sulkies drive the composition, placed in motion across the track so the eye follows the race from one side of the sheet to the other. The horses are the clear focus, with the track and crowd setting the scene around them. The image is built on the energy of the moment, with the two animals stretched forward in the middle of the contest.

Meaning & Symbolism

In the mid-nineteenth century, champion trotters like Flora Temple reached a level of fame comparable to human athletes. The print stands for speed, endurance, and the American appetite for competitive sport. Harness racing drew large crowds and national newspaper attention, and this match became part of that public story. Nathaniel Currier ran his New York lithographic firm before partnering with James Merritt Ives, and his affordable prints brought sporting triumphs and current events into ordinary American homes.

On This Heavy Cotton Tee

A tee carries its artwork across the chest, so the race is seen at a glance and from a distance, the way spectators once watched the horses come around the track. The scene reads as a moment in motion, and it moves with the wearer.