Pike-fishing c. 18th century

Editor: Here we have "Pike-fishing" by Samuel Howitt, created around 1790. It’s a detailed etching, and I’m struck by the way the figures seem so embedded in the landscape. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Consider how this piece romanticizes leisure while subtly reinforcing class divisions. Fishing, like hunting, was increasingly a pastime of the landed gentry, a visual assertion of their dominion over the natural world and, by extension, those who toiled upon it. What do you think? Editor: I see what you mean, it does feel like there is a sense of privilege being portrayed in this image. I had not thought about it that way initially! Curator: Exactly. Howitt's work is fascinating precisely because it reveals these underlying societal structures, even in what appears to be a simple scene of recreation. Editor: I'm beginning to see how even seemingly pastoral scenes can be deeply political.