Henry Alken

Henry Alken was the great recorder of English country sport: foxhunting, racing, steeplechasing and coaching. His scenes are lively and often humorous, with horses in full stretch, riders tumbling and hounds streaming across fields. Many were published as coloured prints, which made his work widely known.

Born in London, he trained with his father, the sporting artist Samuel Alken. He was most active from about 1816 to 1831 and produced books of prints such as The Beauties and Defects in the Figure of the Horse and Humorous Specimens of Riding. He also illustrated Nimrod’s Life of a Sportsman, one of the classic books of English hunting.

His prints are held in the British Museum. In his hunting and coaching scenes, look at the energy of the horses and the comic detail in the riders.