History of the Lawn Jockey Statue

We get many questions regarding the origins and rich history of the great American Lawn Jockey statue. "Welcome home" and "horse racing" are the primary themes of these statues, reflecting charming memories of a bygone era. Many other themes are represented in this uniquely American statue, some of which are described here and on other pages on this website: patriotism, George Washington, the American revolution, slave participation in the revolutionary war, Greek influences in American art and architecture, Christmas, the Underground Railroad, Black Americana, ironwork and the industrial revolution, 19th century American iron toys, forgotten black jockeys of the 1800's, the Kentucky Derby, southern hospitality, the American centennial, and the American Red Cross.

History of the Lawn Jockey 1776-1875 is still a work in progress- if you have any documents, images, or other information referring to these statues during this time period, especially prior to 1860, please contact us.

Documented history on the Lawn Jockey is solid back to the 1870's, but prior history is based on putting pieces of a puzzle together through eyewitness accounts, legend, and speculation. The trail of puzzle pieces traces the history of the Lawn Jockey back through the civil war in the 1860's to the Underground Railroad in the 1840's, and all the way back to George Washington in 1776. But to truly understand the origins of the Lawn Jockey statue, you must first turn the time machine clock back further still, way back to 500 bc in ancient Greece where the public display of the human form in sculpture was perfected.

In 500 bc, the ancient Greeks were big on statues of the human form, and big on slavery... and some statues depicted heroic deeds by their black slaves. Clothing on sculpture is used to convey social structure. Below left: "Kritos Boy"(500 bc) sculpture, an example of "contrapposto", a term that describes the weight shift of the torso producing a relaxed and more natural look. Below right: Slave boy with lantern helping master, 300 bc.

The classical design elements of the Lawn Jockey sculpture were copied from the Greeks, with just the clothing changed to match the current theme.

Now let's fast forward to 1776, on the eve of the American revolution, where the Lawn Jockey legend began. At 3am on December 26, 1776 George Washington's colonial army in Pennsylvania crossed the Delaware river and attacked the British at Trenton, New Jersey. Legend has it Washington's groomsman, a 12-year-old slave boy named Jocko Graves, stayed on the Pennsylvania shore taking care of Washington's horses, holding up a lantern to mark the location. In 1776, a "groomsman" referred to "a man or boy in charge of feeding, conditioning, and stabling of horses."

Famous painting of Washington's "Christmas Day" crossing of the Delaware

Recorded history documents no colonial army deaths in the Battle of Trenton, which turned out to be a significant victory for the colonials. But legend is there was a one tragic non-army casualty... Jocko, who was found frozen to death on the Pennsylvania shore while still holding the lantern when Washington returned at noon on December 26, 1776. Legend has it that upon his return to his Mount Vernon, Virginia home, Washington was so inspired by Jocko's heroism, he commissioned a cast iron statue of Jocko holding a lantern, and called it the "Faithful Groomsman".

Although Christmas was not an elaborate celebration at the time, the "Christmas" theme of the Jockey also started here... making Jockey statues with lanterns the first "Christmas Lights".

The earliest version of the Lawn Jockey, the original "Faithful Groomsman" would have probably looked like the replica above. Also, notice the many "jocko" features in the famous 1796 Gilbert Stuart full-length portrait of Washington. Did the painter get his composition idea from the statue in Washington's lawn?

As Washington was a big hero and trendsetter in the 1770's, many patriots would have copied the statue for their own homes, mostly in the south where the horse farms were and a black groomsman statue would not seem out of place.

Washington's Mount Vernon mansion was, and still is 200 years later, the most copied home style in the US, so it would not be surprising to find a statue from the home being widely copied as well. It would be hard to envision another reason for the "Faithful Groomsman" statue's subsequent popularity other than because of Washington's endorsement. Although there is no existing record of the statue at Mount Vernon, much of the estate was altered and dismantled by the time the current owners, the Mount Vernon Ladies� Association, took over the property in 1858.

This is how Mount Vernon might have looked with a jockey statue.

In an ironic twist, in the 1840's and 50's, in the same deep south where the statues were most popular, Faithful Groomsmen were used to point the way to freedom north along Harriet Tubman's "Underground Railroad" for runaway slaves, a network of "safe houses" protecting escaping slaves from slave hunters.

According to oral tradition, if no slave hunters were near, the sympathetic agent lit Jocko's lantern or tied a bright cloth to his arm to signal "welcome". Without this sign, fugitive slaves hid elsewhere until the coast was clear, or moved on to the next safe house.

Up until the 1860's, there was probably only 1 version of the Lawn Jockey, the "Faithful Groomsman". However, after the civil war, 2 new versions emerged. Coming online at the start of the American industrial revolution, these new statues would have been the first to be mass-produced.

One can speculate that eyewitness accounts from returning union soldiers who heard the Legend of Jocko and saw the Faithful Groomsman while in the south went back to work at the northern iron forges and inspired these new versions.

The first new version was the "Picaninny Caricature" version of Faithful Groomsman, complete with bulging eyes, wide mouth, and big red lips. The idea for the version was probably inspired by Topsy, a black slave child character in Harriet Beecher Stowe's 1852 popular novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin". Later "Picaninny Caricatures" from books and movies like Sambo(1890's- with blue pants and a red vest) and Buckwheat(1920's) kept the Groomsman Caricature version popular for decades.

Next came the "Lawn Jockey" version, which was based on the Faithful Groomsman caricature, originally depicted in black-face, but as an adult and configured as a "horse racing jockey".

The "Picaninny Caricature" version of Faithful Groomsman, although physically distorted, actually gives the best linear connection to the Legend of Jocko Graves. Speculation is that an unknown 1860's sculptor made the picaninny reproduction of the Faithful Groomsman from a verbal or written description only(like from a returning union soldier), but without actually seeing the original statue itself. First note the 1860's-style "Jockey Cap" and facial features additions, as if the sculptor was told the subject was a young slave boy named "Jocko" who cared for Washington's horses, so he combined both jockey and picaninny details on Jocko's head. Next note the fancy "wedding" clothes addition, as if he was told Jocko was also a "wedding groom". The unique hand-in-pocket addition is very important in that it clearly illustrates that the sculptor was told that Jocko was out in the cold and "froze to death" as in the legend.

The 1860's Caricature version clearly reflects the original intent of the statue

The final version of the statue, the Lawn Jockey, is the horse jockey statue invented in 1875 that most people are familiar with... these are the Original Jocks on this page:

CLICK HERE to go to the ORIGINAL JOCKS

Original Jocks combine both the history of the statue(but deleting the distinctive African-American features) along with adding unique new design elements based on ancient Greek "contrapposto", making this version a timeless classic. Painting options on Original Lawn Jocks are almost unlimited due to the design of the sculpture with it's repeating lines and forms. The Original Lawn Jock is a perfectly blended collection of artistically designed round and angular shapes.

Note that following Greek tradition, the statue is not anatomically correct(for example- the left arm is shorter than the right arm). The human form is balanced and relaxed- the Original Lawn Jock was designed as a real metal art sculpture for your yard! And finally, adding the pedestal is the most important feature in all Lawn Jockey statues because it describes the character as being memorialized in a position of high regard or adoration, on a pedestal, like a war hero... like Jocko Graves.

Only high quality real forged metal Jocks from the original balanced greek-inspired classical design, on pedestals, are timeless works of art. The paint is glossy and shiny. Art and history are reflected accurately and positively.

Low quality cheap concrete and plastic-molded replicas are unbalanced, and have no art value. The paint is faded, dull and flakes off.
Art and history are poorly presented.

Estate Quality. Real. Metal. Lawn Jockeys.
The premiere site for custom and hand-painted Lawn Jockey statuary

LAWN JOCKEY HISTORY CONTINUES...
ON YOUR STOOP...
WITH A REAL METAL LAWN JOCKEY
FROM LAWNJOCK.COM!

Estate Quality. Real. Metal. Lawn Jockeys.The premiere site for custom and hand-painted Lawn Jockey statuary

LAWN JOCKEY HISTORY CONTINUES...ON YOUR STOOP...WITH A REAL METAL LAWN JOCKEY FROM LAWNJOCK.COM!

Estate Quality. Real. Metal. Lawn Jockeys.
The premiere site for custom and hand-painted Lawn Jockey statuary

LAWN JOCKEY HISTORY CONTINUES...
ON YOUR STOOP...
WITH A REAL METAL LAWN JOCKEY
FROM LAWNJOCK.COM!