First Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Gilmore's Gardens

Background. The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is an all-breed conformation show held annually in the New York metropolitan area. It originated as a show for gun dogs, primarily Setters and Pointers, initiated by a group of hunters who met regularly at the Westminster Hotel at Irving Place and Sixteenth Street in Manhattan. The club predates the American Kennel Club's formation by seven years.

Venue and Origin. The event has long been associated with the various incarnations of New York City's Madison Square Garden, which hosted the event nearly uninterrupted from 1877 to 2020. The first show took place on May 8, 1877, making it one of the oldest continuously held sporting events in the United States, ranking third only to the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks.

Breeding Context. In 1876, the organization brought over from England a Pointer named Wellstood of Sensation, imported primarily for breeding purposes. The supplied passages do not state a direct connection between this import and the origins of the 1877 show, which was initiated by a group of hunters focused on gun dogs such as Setters and Pointers.