Radnor Legends

J. Stanley Reeve

From Bright Hunting Morn,

by Collin F. McNeil

A few moments spent before Charles Morris Young’s painting of White Horse offers a telling glimpse into the persona of J. Stanley Reeve. There he stands, garbed in the most formal hunting kit: silk topper, pink shadbelly and half-pegged britches, gleaming brown-top boots—all the most appropriate accoutrements. Reeve gained recognition for his idiosyncratic garb. Here, an unusual bowler, there, a nearly orange suit, with a straw boater—a wardrobe sure to garner attention.

Charles Morris Young’s 1923 painting “White Horse,” with J. Stanley Reeve in formal hunting attire, standing in the center, just to the left of the mounted hunter

In his drive to be center stage, Reeve ensured his place in this history by keeping a detailed diary of Radnor’s hunting, racing, and social exploits. For twenty-two seasons, little that was delicious, scandalous, comical, or of maudlin interest escaped his watchful eye.

The Medford, New Jersey, native cultivated his literate, urbane style attending Quaker schools, including William Penn Charter. His hunting exploits commenced in 1902 with the Whitemarsh Valley Hounds. Nine years later, following his marriage to Katherine Lowell Roosevelt—a cousin of President Theodore Roosevelt—Reeve and his bride relocated to Bryn Mawr.

J. Stanley Reeve in formal hunting attire

A season or two under his belt with the Radnor provided the pepper and salt on his dish—dashing and dining, drinking and dallying with soon-to-be friends and neighbors. His Radnor Reminiscences, which appeared in 1921, chronicled these colorful figures, especially the Misses Cassatt and DeCoppett, Hunstman Will Leverton, and Masters Benjamin Chew and Horace Hare. The comings and goings of visitors (some quite well-known), as well as hunting along dusty (or muddy) country lanes, provided him with spice and speculation.

Reeve delighted in the social intrigue: Who was seen out with whom? Who was that couple secreted away in romantic bliss? How old so-and-so made it back to the club through the good graces of a bootlegger! Most of all, the author captured the essence of the Gentlemen and Ladies out for fun and sport—all set against the national and world stage.

Cover page of J. Stanley Reeves’ 1921 Radnor Reminiscences

The diarist did it again in Fox Hunting Recollections, released in 1928. Reeve went on to publish a number of other books, articles, and pamphlets which primarily recounted his hunting experiences with Mr. Stewart’s Cheshire Foxhounds, admonitions on proper hunting protocol, and hound breeding. For many years, the author served on the Radnor Board in various capacities, and even after decamping to Unionville, Pennsylvania (the center of Cheshire country), he remained a regular presence at Radnor, as longtime Chair of the Bryn Mawr Hound Show.

Stanley Reeve passed away in 1960. His wit, whimsy, and unwavering dedication to sport elevated Stanley Reeve to the status of Radnor legend!

J. Stanley Reeves’ 1935 Further Fox-Hunting Recollections

J. Stanley Reeve on horseback, 1910

Drawing of J. Stanley Reeve

Radnor Legends

Ellen Mary Cassatt

From Bright Hunting Morn,

by Collin F. McNeil

As a little girl, Ellen Mary Cassatt was one of her famous aunt’s favorite models. American-born painter Mary Cassatt, who never had children of her own, doted on her niece, Ellen Mary. Beautiful portraits abound. “Ellen Mary in a White Coat.” “Ellen Mary with a Big Bow,” “Ellen Mary in a Big Hat”—from the days of her infancy up to her teenage years, Miss Cassatt was a well-known topic of discussion among art aficionados, thanks to her aunt’s painterly attentions. When she reached her teenage years, the relationship began to show signs of stress. Young Ellen Mary had taken up smoking, much to her aunt’s disapproval. Paradoxically, Ellen Mary also opposed suffrage, again, to her aunt’s disapproval, since her aunt was an outspoken suffragette.

Ellen Mary in White Coat, circa 1896 painting by Mary Cassatt

In one arena, Ellen Mary and her Aunt Mary remained quite similar: both were ardent horsewomen. Ellen Mary became one of the first—possibly the first—woman at Radnor to ride astride. And ride she did! Her fearless riding attracted the notice of J. Stanley Reeve, and accounts of it populate his hunting diaries. Reeve frequently alluded to Ellen Mary and her sister Eugenia as “The Misses Cassatt.”

1917 drawing of Ellen Mary Cassatt by George Biddle

New York Times, December 5, 1915

Ellen Mary was in France when World War I broke out and soon returned home. When military duty called away members of the hunting staff, she volunteered to whip-in—a daring and unorthodox decision for a woman to make. Her expert and courageous horsemanship won her the respect of other hunters, and the Board of Governors, with admiration and gratitude at the war’s end, named her to the Hunt Committee—the first woman to be so recognized.

Ellen Mary Cassatt, on right, leading the field

After returning from the war, Radnor member Horace Binney Hare courted Ellen Mary. Likely, their romance grew through mutual interest, experience, and exposure. In April of 1924, they were married in the Cassatt family church, St. Mark’s in Center City Philadelphia. It is unsurprising that Ellen Mary’s choice for a husband would be the Radnor Master of Foxhounds.

Ellen Mary and Horace Hare with their children

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