An English Cockfight, a Quaker and Country People of Scotland and Wales, 1842

This is an original antique lithograph with hand coloring from the Galleria Universale di Tutti i Popoli del Mondo (Venice, Giuseppe Antonelli, 1842). The upper image shows two gamecocks facing each other on the ground, watched by a group in top hats and greatcoats, among them a woman in a yellow bonnet and pink shawl, a boy in a red cap and green jacket, and a young man in a blue jacket with a red sash. At the right stands a man in a broad brimmed hat and long gray double breasted coat, leaning on a cane. The lower image shows three figures before a rocky landscape: at the left a young man in a wide brown hat, wrapped in a checked plaid, holding a crook; in the center a bearded man in a black hat and brown coat with a red sash and green breeches, a stick in his hand and a black dog at his side; and at the right a barefoot young woman knitting, a tall black hat on her head with a pitcher balanced on top.

The top margin is lettered "Tav 86" at the left, "INGHILTERRA" in the center and "Tom IV" at the right. The captions under the upper image read "Combattimento dei Galli" (cockfight) and "Un Quaquero" (a Quaker). The caption under the lower image reads "Contadini Inglesi di Scozia e di Galles" (English peasants of Scotland and Wales).

Cockfighting was a popular wagering sport in Britain until it was banned in England and Wales in 1835. The Quakers, the Religious Society of Friends, arose in seventeenth century England and were known for plain dress and the broad brimmed hat.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.