The Auction at Graceland•January 8, 2020
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/8/2020
In 1966 Elvis made his passion for horseback riding a reality when he began purchasing horses, first for Priscilla as Christmas gift along with one for Jerry Schilling’s girlfriend Sandy (so Priscilla would have someone to ride with). Elvis gifted Priscilla a black quarter horse named Domino and a cream-colored horse named Sheba was given to Sandy. Shortly after, Elvis acquired his own horse named Rising Sun, a palomino quarter horse. Elvis’ passion grew quickly and the barn at Graceland, fondly referred to as the House of the Rising Sun, was cleaned to house the horses. Throughout the years, Elvis could often be seen riding his horses around the Graceland property and would ride down to the front gate to sign autographs for fans. He would sit at the fence astride Riding Sun or one of the other horses and chat with fans from the saddle. After greeting his fans, he would turn and gallop back towards to the barn to the astonishment and admiration of his followers. Offered are two black-and-white 35 mm negative contact sheets containing thirty-five (35) images of Elvis on horseback, some with a closer perspective than others. Almost all depict Elvis on horseback, with several showing only his head peering above the stone fence at Graceland. Elvis is seen atop Rising Sun in some of the photos and on Bear, a Tennessee Walking Horse and another favorite of Elvis’, in other images. The contact sheets measure 8 by 10 inches (20.32 x 25.4 cm) and 5 by 8 inches (12.7 x 20.32 cm) respectively and the pair is accompanied by a letter of authenticity from Graceland Authenticated.
The proof sheets are in excellent condition with the larger marked "A" with a green grease pen on the reverse and the smaller marked "B" on the reverse.