Highwayman
'Strike for the King; or, The Black-Masked Cavalier', Claude Duval, No. 2, front cover, c. 1903, Lea, Charlton, published by Aldine Publishing Co.: London, UK
What makes an unscrupulous thief into a gallant gentleman? A horse, apparently. Highwaymen were romanticized thieves of men’s money and women’s virtue, set above the common criminal primarily by the distinction of a horse. Claude Duval, one of the most infamous of such heroic bandits in the seventeenth century, is here depicted upon his prestigious mount, performing a feat of robbery upon the carriage of Obadiah Springhall. Dressed in his extravagant cavalier’s clothing, Duval would not make so striking a figure had he been standing on foot by the carriage, looking up at the man he was to rob.
Police Crowd Control
The Penny Illustrated-Paper and Illustrated Times, v. 53, no. 1378, October 29, 1887, selection from front cover, published by Thomas Fox: London, UK
The height of a policeman on horseback was often an advantage for situations such as crowd control. Despite training, however, animals could become panicked if a crowd turned unruly or violent, as depicted here. Horses are also used for show in law enforcement ceremonies and parades.
