English Horsewoman, a Race, British and Indian Soldiers and Sailors, 1842

An original antique lithograph, hand colored, from the Galleria Universale di Tutti i Popoli del Mondo (Venice, Giuseppe Antonelli, 1842). The upper image shows a woman riding side saddle on a brown horse, in a black hat with a white veil, a crimson jacket and a long white riding skirt; behind her, beyond a fence, two jockeys in red race on horseback past a large house and trees, while a group of riders watches at the right. The lower image shows a soldier in a tall bearskin cap with a plume, red coat with green and yellow facings and white trousers holding a musket; an Indian soldier in a blue turban, red jacket and white shorts with a musket on his shoulder; a boy in a red and yellow checked jacket and blue cap; and a sailor in a straw hat, blue jacket and white trousers leaning on a bale, with a ship behind them.

The top margin is lettered "Tom IV", "INGHILTERRA" and "Tav. 85". Under the upper image: "Corsa a gara" (Race) and "Cavalcatrice Inglese" (English horsewoman). Under the lower image: "Soldato Inglese" (English soldier), "Soldato Inglese Indiano" (English Indian soldier) and "Marinari" (Sailors).

Horse racing was already a fixture of English social life, and the riding habit with a long skirt for the side saddle was standard dress for women on horseback. The Indian soldier belongs to the armies that served under British rule in India, and the bearskin cap was worn by grenadiers.

A spirited plate for an equestrian room or a collection of British military prints.

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