The Meet 

John Leech made this line drawing, titled “The Meet,” sometime in the mid-19th century, using ink on paper. The image depicts a fox hunt, a popular social and sporting activity in the British countryside. Hunting scenes were common in British art. What’s interesting here is the way Leech uses the image to comment on the social structures of his time. This was a period of rapid industrialization and urbanization in Britain, and activities like fox hunting were often seen as symbols of the old, rural aristocracy. Note the figures on horseback: they are all dressed in the traditional attire of the hunt, reinforcing the idea that this is an exclusive, upper-class pursuit. Leech emphasizes the formality and ritual of the hunt through his detailed rendering of the clothing. To better understand the image, we need to consider the social and political context in which it was made. Resources such as period newspapers, social surveys, and historical studies can help us learn about the attitudes and values that shaped British society at this time.