In recognition of the 50th anniversary of that day, the New Hampshire Historical Society has published an article exploring the artistry of carriage painting as the cover story for the latest issue of the statewide history journal Historical New Hampshire (being mailed to current members this week). The authors, Merri Ferrell and Christopher Augerson, a curator and conservator specializing in the decoration of historic horse-drawn vehicles, investigate this important but little-known 19th-century trade through the artwork and papers of John Burgum, for many years the chief ornamental painter for Concord’s Abbot-Downing Company. Lewis Downing and J. Stephens Abbot developed and manufactured the vehicle that became known as the Concord coach, which they shipped throughout the United States, as well as to South America, Australia, and New Zealand.

This publication has been made possible by generous support from the Concord Group Insurance Companies. This company, whose logo features a Concord coach, invites the public to visit their headquarters at 4 Bouton Street to see another surviving Concord coach.

The New Hampshire Historical Society has published Historical New Hampshire since 1944. Each issue contains a variety of articles about a past that enriches and informs our lives today, as well as reviews of recent books of state and local interest. Historical New Hampshire is a benefit of membership in the New Hampshire Historical Society.

Individual copies are available for purchase online or through the New Hampshire Historical Society’s museum store, located at 6 Eagle Square, Concord, for $3.50 (plus $7.95 postage and handling). To order a copy or to become a member, call 603/856-0625 or visit online at nhhistory.org.