Cartoon

Title:

New Hampshire Sweeps

Object Name:

Cartoon

Object ID:

2016.038.03

Creator:

Robertson, Bill -- Illustrator

Place of Origin:

Boston, MA

Date:

1964

Description:

Cartoon, New Hampshire Sweepstakes horse race, Rockingham Park, Salem, NH, by Bill Robertson, 1964. Ink on heavy paper. Depicts Lou Smith holding broom marked "ROCKINGHAM" and "NEW / HAMPSHIRE / SWEEPS". He sweeps money into a schoolhouse marked "N.H. / EDUCATION". At lower right, head of a horse identified as "KNIGHTLY MANNER", a race favorite. Three other smaller drawings regarding the race. Signed "BROB" on right.

Material:

Paper

Dimensions:

H-11.9 W-12.7 inches

Provenance:

In 1964 the New Hampshire State Legislature passed bills creating the first state-operated lottery in the United States. Sold only in state liquor stores and a few select other locations, the winning lottery ticket was based upon the outcome of a thoroughbred race at Rockingham Park. Lou Smith then inaugurated the New Hampshire Sweepstakes, patterned on the Irish Sweepstakes. The initial running on September 12, 1964, won by Roman Brother in track record time of 1:55:4 for 1 3/16 mile, was covered by the national media and televised by ABC-TV's Wide World of Sports. The race was discontinued after 1967 and renewed in 1984.

Bill Robertson worked as a sports cartoonist for the Boston Herald and Quincy Patriot Ledger.

Credit Line:

Gift of Rockingham Park

People:

Smith, Lou ( -1969)

Subjects:

Horse racing, Horse racetracks, Horses, Lotteries, Cartoons, Cartoonists, Schools, Brooms and brushes