Game Keeper And Boy Ferreting A Rabbit 

John Frederick Lewis captured this scene of rural life with watercolour and bodycolour. His identity as a member of the Victorian upper-middle class certainly shaped his vision of the English countryside, a vision often romanticized and detached from the realities of rural poverty. Here, we see a gamekeeper and a young boy engaged in ferreting rabbits, a hunting practice that relies on animals to flush out prey. The painting subtly reveals a rigid social hierarchy; the older man kneels in the dirt, while the younger one is outfitted in a long yellow coat. The artist seems to focus on the aesthetics of the hunt, rather than its economic implications for the rural population. This work invites us to consider the complex relationship between humans, animals, and the land. The image prompts questions about class, labor, and the romanticized depiction of rural England.