Mr. Trevor & His Black Curly Coated French Poodles

BY DEBRA LAMPERT-RUDMAN

“In this country the popularity of the black curly Poodles is largely due to Henry G. Trevor, who has imported prize winning stock from England and France, and demonstrated to the bench show critics and the public that the shaggy dogs hitherto ranking as Poodles, were an inferior breed, lacking color, size and coat.” – New York Record, September, 1895

Poodle fanciers, rejoice! We are invited to visit Mr. H.G. Trevor’s Southampton, Long Island seaside mansion and kennels. Mr. T.T. Corrigan, Meadowmere Kennels Manager, resides in a pretty cottage in front of the kennel, about a quarter of a mile from Mr. Trevor’s mansion, and he loves visitors. Highly regarded among the dog show scene, it’s said Mr. Corrigan will not only show us the kennels, but the Jersey cattle, a stud of horses and the cottage, barn and grounds of Mr. Trevor. If we are really lucky, we may meet “Milo”, the only champion Poodle in the United States. Milo is seldom at the kennels since he is Mr. Trevor’s house dog. Mr. Corrigan and Mr. Trevor have been working hard to convince the public that Poodles should have curly coats, not corded, and that black is the best color for French Poodles.

Okay, I realize it isn’t 1897, and 119 years have passed since Poodles were a “new” breed in America, however, I inherited a treasure trove of breed books and discovered among them an incredible advertising booklet for Meadowmere Kennels, with photographs by H.E. Mendelsshon of 5452 Fifth Avenue, New York, and published by Sea-Side Times Print, Southampton, L.I., New York. While paging through this special brochure, I truly felt transported to Mr. Trevor’s 30+ acre seaside estate. My dog-eared, ivory-colored, 38- page booklet features 11 pages of excerpts from magazines and newspapers touting Meadowmere Kennels’ history and successes in Poodles. From American StockKeeper, New York Mercury, New York World, New York Recorder, American Field, Rider and Driver, and Fancier’s Journal I not only gained a sense of the late 19th century world of Poodles, but society at large as well.

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Posted by Alex on Dec 5 2016. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.