The Force of Habit, by Jemima Blackburn (née Wedderburn) (1823-1909). Dated 1847. Caption: "Old Pony Stops at the Public House. Old Coachman. "Get on ye lean brute." Scenes of Animal Life & Character, p. 13. Click on the image to enlarge it.
The pony has clearly been stopped many times in the past at the pub "Licensed to sell spirits, porter and ales," and expects to be stopped here again. But the passengers this time are elegantly attired young women who must be making a more genteel visit. The uniformed driver angrily raises his whip. One of the artist's particular skills is on show here: her ability to show the legs and hooves of horses with great accuracy. She recalled thinking as a child how difficult that would be: "I enjoyed watching the horses trotting along but wondered how on earth one could ever draw their legs as they changed their shape at every movement" (qtd. in Fairlie, 100), yet this turned out to be one of her strong points as an animal artist. The pony's resistance here is keenly felt, matching the driver's irritation.
The situation here is no more sentimental than it is humorous. It is simply observed. The horse is not actually "lean" or bony. Yet, guided perhaps by the driver's angry expression, viewers (including the publican at the door) are left to respond in their own ways to the imminent lashing, and may well arrive at a judgment of their own. — Jacqueline Banerjee
Bibliography
Blackburn, Jemima. The Paintings and Memoirs of a Victorian Lady. Edited with an introduction by Robert Fairley. North Pomfret, Vermont: Trafalgar Squre Publishing, 1989.
JB (Jemima Blackburn). Scenes of Animal Life & Character from Nature & Recollection. London: Griffith & Farran, 1858. Internet Archive, from a copy in Boston Public Library. Web. 18 May 2026.
Created 18 May 2026