Mysterious 1870s Wis. photo sparks jokes

Associated Press ^ | January 5, 2007 | Robert Imrie

[SpringheelJack]

WAUSAU, Wis. - Who is that mysterious, elegant man? And why is he sitting on a dead horse? Such are some of the questions sparked by a black-and-white photograph taken in Sheboygan between 1876 and 1884 that has led to nationwide curiosity, speculation and jokes.

"It is just a funny picture," Prescher said. "He is sitting on there with a top hat like he had somewhere special to go and his horse just croaked in the middle of the road."

No one knows who the gentleman is, exactly what year the picture was taken or the circumstances surrounding it, said Beth Dipple, director of the Sheboygan County Historical Research Center, which has had the picture in its collection for at least 20 years.

Some of the ideas for what the picture depicts include the thoughtful — it was staged for a political campaign perhaps related to sanitation issues — to the bizarre — the horse is being helped to relieve "excess flatulence."

A Web site sponsored a contest for readers to write the best caption for the photo and about 100 were submitted, including: "Lay still old girl, FEMA's on the way."

Dipple said about all that's known about the picture is it was taken at South Eighth Street and Indiana Avenue between 1876 and 1884 — based on the bridge over the Sheboygan River in the background and the lack of railroad tracks that were installed in 1884.

The city had laws on the books that required people to stay with their dead horses until they were picked up and disposed of, Dipple said.

"Who knows why somebody would take a picture of it?" she said. "People had weird senses of humor then just like they do now."

[killermosquito]

1. All dressed up and no place to go.

2. I'm going downtown to see a man about a horse.

[jiggyboy]

That's the guy on top of the WTC as the second plane comes in.

[andy58-in-nh]

[InvisibleChurch]

[InvisibleChurch]

I think it has a sign on it what sez : Arbeit Macht Cheese

[Dog Gone]

It just looks like he is waiting for help.

A flat tire, so to speak.

[InvisibleChurch]

That's better.

[Sacajaweau]

Whoops...I should have read the article....Indiana.

Kinda looks like the "plain folks" in the background knew who "Dapper Dan" was and weren't about to lend a hand. The local Banker??

[HEY4QDEMS]

No it ain't fake, it's really the President of Purina staking his claim before that scoundrel from ALPO shows up.

[Nea Wood]

At that exact moment, AAA's eventual founder is struck with an idea that won't be realized for another 30 years.

Brilliant!

[Aquinasfan]

That's the explanation, but it doesn't explain why that became law.

Otherwise people would just abandon the horse, forcing the town to pick up the cost of disposal?

[tumblindice]

Wilbur Post's great-great grandfather and "Mr. Ned"?

[SpringheelJack]

We often forget - while looking at all those old pictures that required long exposures and long faces - that our ancestors had a sense of humor, too.

[shekkian]

Tell me that picture is fake!!!

[SpringheelJack]

[SpringheelJack]

[IllumiNaughtyByNature]

He was there the whole time:

[andy58-in-nh]

[Ragtop]

After that photo was proved to be fake, I saw dozens of photos of the 9/11 guy in various other historical disasters, from the Hindenburgh to L.A. Riots in '92 to King Kong vs. Godzilla. It was great!

[Dog Gone]

Otherwise people would just abandon the horse, forcing the town to pick up the cost of disposal?

Perhaps, but I have to wonder how often horses dropped dead in the middle of the city. Can you be riding a horse into town to pick up some corncobs for the outhouse, and the horse just decides to die?

And people were just walking off and it became a town nuisance? Dead horses everywhere with no one to bill for picking the carcass up?