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"Henry Alken was one of the most important -- and prolific-- sporting artists of the early nineteenth century. He was a particular favorite of Paul Mellon, and the Center's collections include many of Alken's illustrated books, prints, drawings, and paintings. “The First Steeple Chase on Record, or, The Night Riders of Nacton” was one of the most popular of all of Alken's sets of sporting prints. According to Frank Siltzer, "They have been reproduced in every size, shade and form, and there can be but few towns in England where they are not exposed in some curiosity or antique shop for the gaze of the passer-by" (Siltzer, 1979, p. 54). However, Mellon's set -- the original issue of 1839 in the printed buff wrappers and the rare sheet of letterpress with the account of the race -- is an extraordinary copy and cannot be compared to any of the reissues. Plate 3, showing the moonlit last field near Nacton Heath, is represented in its rare first state showing the wrong sort of shadow cast by the five-barred gate. In later issues, the shadow has been altered and made less bright. The original story 'An Inquiry into the Origin of Steeple-Chases, With an Authentic Account of the Earliest Steeple-Chase on Record,' by Sidney Cooper, was published in the January 1839 issue of 'The Sporting Review.' The author describes the sporting event that took place in 1803 when some officers of a Cavalry regiment quartered at Ipswich were battling boredom one evening. One suddenly proposed to race his gray horse four miles across country against any of his fellow officers who were willing; it was decided that they should wear nightshirts over their uniforms, 'whereby we shall not only see each other better, but also ourselves remain unknown to vulgar eyes' (p. 51)."
- Elisabeth Fairman. Paul Mellon's Legacy: a Passion for British Art: Masterpieces from the Yale Center for British Art, Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, CT, 2007, p. 303, no. 129, N5220.M552 P38 2007+ OVERSIZE (YCBA)