Going to Cover, from Fox Hunting 1828

Charles Bentley created this print, titled ‘Going to Cover, from Fox Hunting’, sometime in the first half of the 19th century. Bentley was part of a generation of artists who captured the pursuits of the British upper class. Here, we see riders and their hounds in pursuit of a fox, a scene that speaks to the social hierarchies of the time. Fox hunting was not merely a sport; it was a ritual that reinforced class distinctions, with the landed gentry asserting their dominance over both the land and its inhabitants. But look closer: the energy of the animals, the tension in the riders’ postures, and the vastness of the landscape invite us to consider our relationship to nature. Bentley’s print is more than just a depiction of a hunt, it’s an exploration of our place within a complex social and natural order. It prompts us to reflect on how we, too, are part of a system with its own set of rules and expectations, urging us to consider what we pursue and at what cost.