A Peep at the Fox Chace
Paper Peepshow
1829 (published)
1829 (published)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Fox chase, more commonly known as foxhunting, is a formalised activity involving the chase of a fox by trained hounds and the ‘master of foxhounds,’ who is followed by his team on foot or horseback. It originated in England, where the earliest known attempt to hunt a fox with hounds dates back to 1534. The oldest English fox hunt, which still exists today, is the Bilsdale in Yorkshire founded in the late 1600s.
Modern foxhunting took shape in the 19th century after Hugo Meynell, the father of modern English chase, started hunting a century earlier. The 19th century also saw foxhunting became a national upper-class pastime. It reached the high point of popularity before World War I, but today it is most known for the controversies it has provoked.
Foxhunting season usually starts in November and continues to March or April, yet the lush vegetation of in the paper peepshow seems to allude to a warmer time of the year. The engraver, who is also the publisher, appears to be more preoccupied with presentating a scenic view than with accuracy.
Modern foxhunting took shape in the 19th century after Hugo Meynell, the father of modern English chase, started hunting a century earlier. The 19th century also saw foxhunting became a national upper-class pastime. It reached the high point of popularity before World War I, but today it is most known for the controversies it has provoked.
Foxhunting season usually starts in November and continues to March or April, yet the lush vegetation of in the paper peepshow seems to allude to a warmer time of the year. The engraver, who is also the publisher, appears to be more preoccupied with presentating a scenic view than with accuracy.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | A Peep at the Fox Chace (published title) |
| Materials and techniques | |
| Brief description | A Peep at the Fox Chace, C. Essex & Co., 1829 |
| Physical description | Accordion-style paper peepshow of a fox hunt. 5 cut-out panels. 1 peep-hole. Hand-coloured etching and aquatint. In a slipcase. Expands to approximately 62 cm. Slipcase: the title, a picture of a huntsman on a horse, and the publication details. Front-face: the title, four fox heads in the corner, and hunting horns. Four lines of verse reads: ‘Tantivy, the Huntsman, he starts for the chace, In good humour as fresh as the morn; While health and hilarity beam from his face, At the sound of the mellow-tun’d horn.’ The peep-hole consists of a large oval shape in the middle. Behind it are shutters with a scene of huntsmen with horses, hounds, and a dead fox. Panel 1: a woman and three children watching the chase by a house. Panel 2-5: huntsmen on horses with hounds on their fox chase. Back panel: a pastoral scene with cows grazing on a meadow. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Accepted under the Cultural Gifts Scheme by HM Government from the collections of Jacqueline and Jonathan Gestetner and allocated to the Victoria and Albert Museum, 2016. |
| Object history | Part of the Jacqueline and Jonathan Gestetner Collection, collected over 30 years and given to the V&A Museum through the government's Cultural Gift Scheme, 2016. |
| Summary | Fox chase, more commonly known as foxhunting, is a formalised activity involving the chase of a fox by trained hounds and the ‘master of foxhounds,’ who is followed by his team on foot or horseback. It originated in England, where the earliest known attempt to hunt a fox with hounds dates back to 1534. The oldest English fox hunt, which still exists today, is the Bilsdale in Yorkshire founded in the late 1600s. Modern foxhunting took shape in the 19th century after Hugo Meynell, the father of modern English chase, started hunting a century earlier. The 19th century also saw foxhunting became a national upper-class pastime. It reached the high point of popularity before World War I, but today it is most known for the controversies it has provoked. Foxhunting season usually starts in November and continues to March or April, yet the lush vegetation of in the paper peepshow seems to allude to a warmer time of the year. The engraver, who is also the publisher, appears to be more preoccupied with presentating a scenic view than with accuracy. |
| Bibliographic reference | R. Hyde, Paper Peepshows. The Jacqueline and Jonathan Gestetner Collection (Woodbridge: The Antique Collectors' Club, 2015), cat. 211. |
| Other number | 38041016059032 - NAL barcode |
| Collection | |
| Library number | Gestetner 211 |
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| Record created | August 29, 2018 |
| Record URL |
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