The FEMALE FOX HUNTER.

Date1778

After work by John Collet 1725(?) - 1780

Publisher Samuel Carver 1756 - 1841

Maker Henry Carington Bowles 1763 - 1830

Maker Bowles & Carver fl. 1793 - 1832

OriginEngland, London

MediumMezzotint engraving with hand coloring

DimensionsOH: 13 1/4" x OW: 9 3/4"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1962-285

DescriptionThe lower margin reads: "The FEMALE FOX HUNTER./ From the Original Picture by John Collet in the possession of Carington Bowles."

A young lady in a blue hunting habit is urging her horse to clear a five-barred gate; dogs follow her. A gentleman has fallen from his saddle in the background, while another lady and man ride on.Label TextThis print was meant as a satire about women engaging in men’s sports like fox hunting. While a male rider is thrown from his horse in the background, the “Female Fox Hunter” confidently prepares to jump her horse over the gate. The women in this print wear riding habits. This long-sleeved, high-necked jacket paired with a petticoat was designed for comfort and protection against the elements for riding and travel, but they were also very fashionable. Foxhunting gained popularity with women in the 19th century as changing social norms and safer sidesaddles enabled women to join the hunt.

The following information has been trimmed from Colonial Williamsburg's copy, but can be found on the British Museum's copy: "Printed for and Sold by Bowles and Carver, at their Map & Print Warehouse, N.o 69 in S.t Pauls Church Yard, London. Published as the Act directs"ProvenanceBefore 1962, the Old Print Shop (New York, NY); 1962-present, purchased by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA).