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Philip Reinagle sketched this barking dog’s head, facing left, in graphite. While the date of this sketch is unknown, Reinagle was part of a late eighteenth-century movement in Britain to elevate animal painting to the level of the more respected genres of portraiture or history painting. During this period, dogs became potent symbols of social status and country life. They appear frequently in portraits of the landed gentry, signifying loyalty, protection, and control over territory. Reinagle, as an animal painter, was part of a larger art market boom that catered to a wealthy class keen to display their affinities with nature and their control over it. The power dynamics between humans and animals, and between the artist and his subject, are worth considering here. If you want to consider Reinagle’s work in greater depth, look at the exhibition catalogues and art market ephemera of the time.