This old print of an Austrian horseteam and rider (pulling a pontoon wagon) would seem to answer my inquiry from the other day.
It's funny what will cross your mind while you are doing other things. While finishing a few small improvements before the return of the Grand Duchess, who was away until late last night at a conference in Liverpool, England for one week, I remembered that Der Alte Fritz himself (aka Jim Purky) shared some scans via one of his blogs from an old, old collection of mid-18th century Austrian uniforms a few years ago. At the time, I had the presence of mind (an uncommon thing mind you) to copy and save one of the illustrations that featured the figures above. No doubt I was thinking ahead, at that point, to my planned wagon and pontoon train (addressed and completed back in 2014).
Anyway, I had a look through a few desktop folders on the ol' Sony PC down here in Zum Stollenkeller Mk II, and there it was. The answer I sought about where the rider was exactly in a four-horse team. So, now I can begin gluing down my limber teams in advance o the usual white acrylic gesso basecoat. It's nice when pressing questions eventually answer themselves.
Happy July 4th by the way to my American visitors at home and abroad. 'Kaboom!' and all of that. This time last year, we celebrated with an evening picnic in Viktoria Park, near the grand Duchess' old apartment, due to the heat in Berlin where we spent July and half of August. This year, We have a ban on firework sales and displays in our part of Mid-Michigan due to an apparent drought. Yours truly will make some of Mom's mustard potato salad, fire up the grill this evening, and prepare some juicy hamburgers plus a hotdog for the Young Master however, and we'll celebrate our independence from Old Blighty with a nice meal outside at the picnic table. If you celebrate July 4th, and especially for those overgrown boys who play recklessly with things that are essentially made of gunpowder, have a fun but safe holiday.
-- Stokes
Molly Pitcher, legend has it, took her collapsed husband's place at his cannon, helping load and fire it on advancing British and Hessian troops at the Battle of Monmouth, June 28, 1778.
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