George Hunt

A Soaker or Real Cat & Dog Day

9 x 11.5 inches

An etching and aquatint with original hand colour; engraved by George Hunt after "ME" (M. Egerton) and published in London by Pyall and Hunt in 1827.

In this charming caricature we see a somewhat scrawny gentleman struggling to open up his umbrella in the middle of a particularly ferocious downpour. Rain pours from the gutters of nearby buildings and, although there is no sign of a cat, a dog runs for shelter across the cobbled street giving us a visual reference to the term "raining cats and dogs". An equestrian statue in the background suggests that our gentleman might be in the vicinity of St. James's Square and anxious to seek refuge at his club nearby.

George Hunt and his brother Charles were serious and prolific artists and engravers of equestrian and sporting subjects but also liked to indulge themselves with forays into caricature and whimsy.

£150