Concept Art from the Breyer Archive

In addition to catalogs, magazines, and thousands of models, the Breyer Archive also contains countless pre-production materials that document the development of so many Breyer products. In celebration of Breyer’s 75^th anniversary, we’re opening the vault and sharing some unique ephemeral finds from across Breyer history – all of which had a part in creating an iconic Breyer model or publication.

Western Ponies Advertisement Mockup
Circa 1954, by unknown

Many of Breyer’s earliest known advertisements for horse and animal models used this layout design which was quite typical of the time period. Hand-drawn in oil pastels, this mockup was designed to advertise both the Western Horse and the Western Ponies. While a final version either didn’t exist or has not been found, advertisements with similar layouts were produced for other early Breyer models such as the Western Horse on its own, the Boxer, and the Race Horse.

Just About Horses Early Mockup
Circa 1975, by unknown

The model horse community was growing rapidly by the mid-1970s, and after the success of independent hobby publications such as Linda Walter's The Model Horse Shower's Journal, Breyer sought to enter the market with its own: Just About Horses. This early mockup is of JAH’s earliest format – a folded piece of ledger paper with a handful of articles about horses both real and model. This mockup is blank on the inside but features a hand-drawn layout on the front. It also features an alternate publication title, "Horselovers Newsletter."

The first issue of JAH was published in October 1975 and featured a cover story about the Morgan stallion King’s Top Man. JAH would use this pamphlet format until 1980 when it transitioned into a small magazine that allowed for even more article and photo space. 50 years later, the magazine is still published annually for Breyer Collector Club members.

Porcelain Icelandic Concept Art
Circa 1991, by Kathleen Moody

In Breyer’s earlier years before the rise of the internet, it was common to publish sketches, mock-ups and even photos of test run models on an entirely different sculpture to give customers a sneak peek at upcoming releases. Published in the Fall 1991 issue of Just About Horses, this full-color sketch by Kathleen Moody gave readers an idea of what to expect from the Fine Porcelain Icelandic Horse that would be released the following year – and is strikingly similar to the final product.

Breyer’s Fine Porcelain models were the beginning of what would later be known as “Breyer Gallery.” Previously only created as special runs for holiday catalogs, the Icelandic Horse was the first porcelain model available through all Breyer retailers. It was also the very first sculpture that Kathleen created for Breyer! She would go on to create some of Breyer’s most iconic sculptures as the decade progressed.

"Courage" Concept Sketch
Circa 1998, by Susan Carlton Sifton

Sculptor Susan Carlton Sifton began her work for Breyer in 1998 with her sculpture of the famous racehorse Cigar. For her next project, Sue was tasked with creating detailed fine porcelain models depicting the three phases of three-day eventing: Dressage, Show Jumping, and Cross-Country. “Courage” was the latter – a stunning grey horse landing in a water obstacle after soaring over the jump.

During this time period it was common for artists to fax over their concept sketches to Breyer Headquarters rather than attempting to send images over internet connections that were much slower than what we are used to today. The sketch is quite true to the final product and points out specific details that would make it to the release, such as the boat decoration as part of the obstacle. “Courage” would become the second in the series, released in 2000 and available through 2001.

Silver Concept Sketch
Circa 2000, by Kathleen Moody

Silver, created in the likeness of the Lone Ranger’s famous mount, has become one of the most beloved sculptures in the Breyer lineup following his debut in 2001. The late 1990s into the early 2000s were very exciting times for Breyer – advances in molding technology brought a new wave of dynamic sculptures to life. Many of these sculptures, including Silver, were created by Kathleen Moody.

For his upright rearing pose, creating a stable center of balance was a key part of bringing Silver to life. By doing so, the model could stand freely on his own without a base. The final sculpture had a few subtle changes from this sketch, most notably a head turn, but overall is quite close to the original concept.

Tigerlily and Firestorm Concept Sketch
Circa 2023, by Rayvin Maddock

Rayvin Maddock’s concept sketches have a unique animation-like quality to them that certainly makes them stand out in our archives! She begins with “non-photo blue” pencil, which was originally used by artists because it wouldn’t be picked up by many cameras and photocopiers. This allowed artists to flesh out their designs with no worry that these basic shapes and rough lines would show up underneath the bolder, final lines. Rayvin uses a similar technique – after the basic non-photo blue sketch, she then progresses to “searcher lines” as the final shape of the horse begins to come to life and poses are explored. The final “decision lines,” shown here in black, form the final sketch.

Tigerlily and Firestorm were released in 2024 as part of the Premier Collection and were intended as a mare and foal to pair with her 2021 fan-favorite release, Fireheart. Members of that year’s Premier Collection received a similar sketch of Fireheart as part of their welcome packet.