(Afghan Hound Database and Breed Information Exchange)
(Jean Manson COVE Afghan Hounds. Visit with Afghan Hounds to the USA 1926) (Posted by Steve Tillotson Nov 2017)
(Source, Lyall Payne, October 2017) On 12 June 1926 Kandahar and Jean Manson (along with a number of other dogs) set sail from London, England and stepped ashore in New York, USA 10 days later. When Jean Manson sailed she was booked to return four weeks later on the SS Majestic. Something went wrong. Various stories exist. Dorothy Brooks (the former Dorothy Edith Bell-Murray, daughter of Maj Bell-Murray) claimed that one dog jumped overboard en route to the USA, others claim that distemper took the lives of several more on arrival, and at least one newspaper reported that just six arrived in New York. What we know for sure is that Kandadar survived and that Miss Manson returned to England not four weeks later but on the SS Minnekahda on 26 October 1926, some four months later. Jean took Kandahar along to the Great Sesquicentennial Show, held to commemorate 150 years of independence from Britain. It was a vast event, attended by over 10 million visitors. However, this was still not sufficient to prevent the event from going bankrupt. So huge were expectations that the First Bridge, now known as the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, was built across the Delaware River, in anticipation of the crowds coming to Philadelphia from Camden, New Jersey. It was at this exhibition that Peter Arrell Browne Widener II purchased Kandahar from Miss Manson. The Wideners were among Philadelphia’s richest families. PAB’s grandfather (also PAB) was a butcher by trade and had made the family fortune selling mutton to Union troops during the American Civil War. The above is an extract from Lyall's larger article on Kandahar (BM) L T Payne, 2017
AND MISS MANSON'S VISIT TO THE USA IN 1926 (Steve Tillotson, December 2017) Thank you Lyall for the above. This visit by Jean Manson turned out to be very important. As you will see from the following collection of news archives, Miss Manson's visit was published in newspapers throughout the USA and undoubtedly excited and stimulated interest in this (at that time) relatively unknown breed. The importation of Miss Manson's hounds pre-dates the arrival of the more well known Zeppo Marx/Q A Shaw Mckean imports of Westmill Omar, Asra Of Ghazni, and Badshah of Ainsdart by several years Monsieur Chauvet (Paris, France) wrote an article in 1930 about the early history of the breed. He rightly concluded as follows - "Major G. Bell-Murray, since it is to him that English fans are liable for the introduction and admission of the Afghan greyhound in Britain". We can also say today that "Major G. Bell-Murray and Miss Manson, and rightly, since it is to them that American fans are liable for the introduction and admission of the Afghan greyhound in the USA". (Steve Tillotson, December 2017)
1927 was the first year that Afghan Hounds were exhibited at Westminster Kennel Club. The exhibits included Zun O'Valley Farm (pure Bell Murray bred/owned by Miss Manson), Shah Jehan Of Larkbeare (originally owned by Clara Bowring, UK, bred by Capt Carpentier), Sahib (pure Bell Murray, bred by Major Bell Murray/owned by Miss Manson), Kabuter (pure Bell Murray, bred/owned by Miss Manson), the last two hounds eventually became the property of Mrs James Dignowty. REPORTING ON MISS MANSONS 1926 VISIT
Related content Miss Manson, Cove Afghan Hounds Major Bell Murray Page Bell Murray Cove House, Scotland Bell Murray in Wales The Mysterious Cove House Photo The Dog Of The Mystic East, Jean Manson 1929 |
