Background:

These prints are from the Life of the Sportsman illustrated by the British artist Henry Alken.  Originally published in 1842, they are from an early 1900s edition and feature added hand coloring to the lithograph impressions.  This is unique in that by this time hand-coloring as a way of finishing prints was in decline and being replaced by more contemporary print making techniques.

Alken (1785-1851), born in London and the son of Samuel Alken, was a hunter, painter and engraver.  He is one of the best known British sports painters of his time and actively pursued this passion until the end of his life.

As noted to the preface to this series, the purpose was to "portray the character of an English gentleman attached to the sports and pastimes of his country".