The Olden Time

Messrs. Fores were among the most celebrated British publishers of 19th-century sporting and genre scenes. Between 1845 and 1856, they issued an impressive series of sporting sets, including Steeple Chase Scenes, Hunting Accomplishments, Hunting Casualties, Contracts, Hunting Sketches, Coaching Incidents, and Coaching Recollections. These works were based on paintings by the distinguished artists Henry Alken Sr. and Charles C. Henderson, and were expertly aquatinted by John Harris, whose craftsmanship beautifully complements the lively and engaging subjects.

This fine print, after Henderson, depicts a mail coach preparing to depart from an inn. Produced during the period when railroads were beginning to replace Britain’s traditional coaching system, the scene would have evoked a sense of nostalgia for contemporary audiences, just as it continues to do for collectors today.