Washington Winter Show 2013

43 of hounds and the red fox, both from England. Eventually the first recognized hunt was established in America in 1840, the Piedmont Fox Hounds in Upperville, Virginia, still in existence today. Country gentleman tended their properties, allowed access to their land, and hunted themselves. The sport unfolding dramatically across the landscape offered a myriad of compositions for a host of animal and sporting artists, who by the mid- 1800s had produced numerous original works and prints for collectors enamored with the pastime [Fig. 8]. Most of the successful painters of foxhunting, too, were participants in the sport. It is no surprise, since this allowed them greater access to the subject matter and opened up possibilities to garner commissions. John Emms [Fig. 9] lived and worked in Lyndhurst for much of his career and rode with the New Forest Buck Hounds. Lionel Edwards (English, 1878–1966) rode with almost every pack in England, and Franklin Brooke Voss rode to hounds with some of the most influential people of his day, many of whom were his patrons. Voss’s elegant portrait of Mrs. William C. Langley, Aside on Sundown , 1921 [Fig. 10], portraying a well-turned out lady, belies, perhaps the skill and horsemanship required to participate in the sometimes dangerous fox hunts. Riding aside was initially necessitated by the restrictions of dress and social norms. With the 1830s improvements in sidesaddle design, women had a much more stable seat, allowing for safe galloping and jumping. Foxhunting was one of the few sports that did not restrict women’s involvement, and by the 1850s many had joined the hunt field. By the early 1900s it was acceptable for a woman to ride astride with breeches, but many chose to continue the sidesaddle tradition. Attire saw some variations in cut and color over time, as did the hunt caps, This page is sponsored by SAINT COLUMBA’S NURSERY SCHOOL: Play is Priceless Fig. 7: London to Bristol mail coach post horn, 1805 (with detail image of bell). Brass and copper, 5 x 58½ inches. Gift of Russell T. Aaronson, Jr. Fig. 8: John Frederick Herring, Jr. (English, 1820–1907), Eight Foxhunting Vignettes , c. 1850. Oil on canvas, 16 x 16 inches. Gift of Felicia Warburg Rogan.