Name/Title
Framed Photo of Blackie the HorseEntry/Object ID
Artifact 271Tags
ArtworkDescription
Framed color picture of Blackie the horse and Dolphin Club member Buster Olds swimming the Golden Gate with men in rowboat. Brown wood frame, glass.
Caption on small piece of paper in lower left corner reads: "Blackie and Rihil (sic) 'Shorty' Roberts Swimming the Golden Gate Oct. 1, 1938."
Accompanied by piece of paper with typed story of Blackie the horse swimming the Golden Gate.
Second framed photo of Blackie appeared in archive storage Jan 2023. No idea where it came from. The framed Image included in this entry.
Dimensions of frame: 29 in x 36 in. Image appear to be identical to Artifact 271. But seems to be a bit enhanced by colorization or paint somehow. Condition good. Mounted in white mat, glass in frame. On back lower left corner is rectangular black label/silver border: Sausalito Picture Framing. That business opened in 2005, and paper on back already seems old.
Caption in all capital letters hand lettered caption across bottom: " "Blackie" (Only horse in the world to swim the Golden Gate.Richie Roberts steering "Blackie" by the tail, to settle a wager with Bill Kyne and Richie Roberts. Time - 23 1/2 minutes. Oct.1, 1938 "Made/Created
Notes
Cataloged by Gary Leong and Morgan Kulla 12/3/17Dimensions
Dimension Description
Framed PictureHeight
32 inWidth
42 inDimension Description
Typed PageHeight
16 inWidth
12 inLocation
Notes
Second framed version of same image turned up in archive storage in swag room. I noticed it Jan 27, 2023, leaned against first metal rack.Condition
Overall Condition
GoodNotes
Accompanying paper page is in poor condition with water and insect damage.Acquisition
Acquisition Method
LoanNotes
Long term loanResearch Notes
Notes
See newsreel video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7JQK0bBpE4Notes
From Richard Cooper Oct 2025:
The Blackie the Wonder Horse is now a featured video on our club website. There’s more to the story. The film is quite humorous (sound effects) and the start and end are clearly staged. It only mentions the Olympic Club, but the Dolphin Club was more involved. The attached
article is a more trustworthy account and shows Dolphin Club rowboats being used. The swimmer supposedly racing Blackie was Buster Olds who won our Dolphin Club Gate Swims in 1931, 1932, and
1933. An aside, Blackie was the star attraction in the Aquatic Park Water Carnival on November 20, 1938.
