SADDLE & SIRLOIN PORTRAIT GALLERY

GUIDEBOOK TO THE LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY HALL OF FAME

2026 EDITION

Published in conjunction with the 53rd

North American International Livestock Exposition

Believed to be the world’s largest portrait gallery commemorating a single industry, the Saddle & Sirloin Portrait Gallery, The Livestock Industry Hall of Fame, honors leaders in all facets of the American livestock industry—leaders chosen by their peers. The collection was established at Chicago’s Union Stock Yards in 1903, where the International Live Stock Exposition resided. In 1977, the collection moved to the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, home of the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE), where a new inductee is recognized annually.

The 2026 edition of the guidebook—a brief history of the Gallery and its inductees—acknowledges the more than 380 individuals who have been honored with a Saddle & Sirloin portrait over the years. This edition is reimagined in a new format, with some color photos added for the first time, and is published in a year when our agricultural heritage shines brightly as we commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of our constitutional republic.

About the cover—

The cover features “Bull in Defiant Stance,” by Isidore Bonheur, a bronze sculpture in the University Art Collection, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. The University gained possession of the coveted trophy by winning the International Collegiate Livestock Judging Contest in 1901, 1902, and 1903. The sculpture became the trademark of the International during its 76-year history and has continued to be associated with the Saddle & Sirloin Portrait Gallery at the Kentucky Exposition Center.

Published by

Kentucky State Fair Board

Louisville, Kentucky

Letter from the President and CEO…………….……………………………………………………………………..4

The Saddle and Sirloin Portrait Foundation……………………………………………………………………….5

Preface & Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………………………….6

Inductees into the Saddle & Sirloin Portrait Gallery, listed chronologically……………………….7

Historical Overview:

The Foundations of the American Livestock Industry………………………………………….12

Chicago: Crossroads of the Nation and “Slaughterhouse to the World”……………..14

The International Live Stock Exposition………………………………………………………………15

The North American International Livestock Exposition……………………………………..17

A Portrait Gallery to Honor the Greats of the Livestock Industry………………………..19

The Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville……………………………………………………...24

The Artists of the Saddle & Sirloin Portrait Gallery……………………………………………..25

Saddle & Sirloin Portrait Gallery Biographies………………………………………………………………….35

LETTER FROM THE

INTERIM PRESIDENT & CEO

Kentucky Venues is honored to be the home and caretaker of the Saddle & Sirloin Club Portrait Collection. Believed to be the world’s largest portrait gallery devoted to a single industry, it honors more than 375 leaders of the American livestock industry, each one chosen by their peers. Our mission serves agriculture, tourism, and economic development, so it is fitting that this collection lives at the Kentucky Exposition Center, home of the North American International Livestock Exposition, the world’s largest purebred livestock show.

My love of American history is no secret, and few places tell the story of American agriculture better than these walls. Every portrait is a reminder that we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. As we invest more than half a billion dollars in the Kentucky Exposition Center, we are building a future worthy of that legacy, and new digital initiatives now underway will put this history in the hands of today’s leaders and tomorrow’s. Together with our partners at the Saddle & Sirloin Portrait Foundation, I hope you will join us in our efforts to promote and preserve this gallery for the millions of guests who walk through our venue.

Michael E. Berry

Interim President and CEO

Kentucky Venues, 2026

THE SADDLE & SIRLOIN PORTRAIT FOUNDATION: SUPPORTING THE LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY HALL OF FAME

In 2017, a group of recent Saddle & Sirloin portrait inductees and associates began to explore the possibility of establishing a foundation to support the Saddle & Sirloin Portrait Gallery housed at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Under the leadership of this group, a foundation was established, and in 2019, 501(c)(3) status as a charitable organization was approved by the Internal Revenue Service.

In 2026, the Foundation Directors are: Harold Workman, Chair; Dr. Gary Minish, Vice Chair & Fundraising Chair; Corinne Fetter, Treasurer; Dr. Dennis Liptrap, Secretary; Dr. David Hawkins, Program & Marketing Chair; and members Tom Burke, Julia Hall, Dr. Maynard Hogberg, and Dr. Roger Hunsley.

The Saddle and Sirloin Portrait Foundation was officially announced at the 2019 North American International Livestock Exposition, and the first donations were made by portrait inductees and board members. Today, the Foundation encourages inductees and their families, as well as the broader agricultural community to join in supporting the Gallery. Donations are used to enhance the display and interpretation of portraits at the Kentucky Exposition Center, increase awareness of the Portrait Gallery, and maintain and conserve the portraits.

For more information and to contribute online, visit the Foundation website: https://www.saddleandsirloinportraitfoundation.org

Or mail donations to: Saddle and Sirloin Portrait Foundation 14702 Landis Lakes Dr. Louisville, Kentucky 40245 Attn: Corinne Fetter

Preface and Acknowledgements

Founded in 1903 at Union Stock Yards, Chicago, The Saddle & Sirloin Club portrait collection fulfilled a mission to honor significant leaders in the livestock industry. Alvin Sanders documented the origins of the collection in the 1915 publication At the Sign of the Stock Yard Inn and maintained an inventory of the portraits until his death in 1948. Biographical information about the first 127 inductees was gathered in Edward N. Wentworth’s 1920 book A Biographical Catalogue of the Portrait Gallery of the Saddle and Sirloin Club.

Decades later, in the final days of the International Live Stock Exposition, the Saddle & Sirloin Club leaders, led by Frank Harding, selected the Kentucky (Fair &) Exposition Center as the new home of the portrait collection. Charles Barnhart and Harold Workman oversaw this transition to Louisville in 1975, and Harold Workman became the collection’s principal champion. The tradition of honoring new livestock industry inductees each year was transferred to the North American International Livestock Exposition.

Dr. Wesley Garrigus wrote new biographies of the inductees in 1978 and prepared the text for the 1981 collection guidebook. Dale F. Runnion, Dr. Harlan D. Ritchie, and Dr. Richard Willham collaborated to author the 1992–2009 editions. Stephanie (Darst) Seber began a new research and writing project in 2010, to expand the historical essay and biographies and to add information about the artists, many of whom were among the most celebrated portraitists of their time. The results of that project were first published in the 2013 edition, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the NAILE. Stephanie Seber updated the 2020 and 2026 editions to reflect ever-ongoing research. The 2026 edition has been reformatted to increase font size and allow for some color photos. A limited number of printed, spiral bound copies will be offered for sale for $15 each, plus shipping. Contact the Expositions Division at (502) 367-5200 to request a printed copy.

Many individuals have participated in the care, display, and interpretation of the collection over the years, including Harold Workman, David Snider, Corinne Fetter, Jeff Zinner, Stephanie Seber, Joe McGee, Barry Dozier, Melissa Cooper, John Greathouse, Katrina Johansen, and Michael Herberg, as well as many members of the Kentucky Exposition Center Operations team and Louisville’s fine arts community. The Interim President & CEO of Kentucky Venues, Michael E. Berry, and the Kentucky State Fair Board continue to renew the facility’s commitment to the collection, and its future has been made brighter by the establishment of the Saddle & Sirloin Portrait Foundation, led by an active Board of Directors. To all who have shown dedication to this collection, including many others not named above, we offer our gratitude.