"Live-Bait Fishing for Jack" by James Pollard
$1,200
Classic hand-coloured litho by James Pollard (1792-1867) entitled "Live Bait Fishing For Jack" dedicated to the 'Members of the Waltonian Society, by a Brother Angler'
c1840s
Print Sz: 10 3/4"H x 12 3/8"W
Frame Sz: 17"H x 18 3/4"W
"Live-Bait Fishing for Jack" is a famous 19th-century British sporting print created by the renowned painter and engraver James Pollard (1792–1867). Published around 1840, this hand-colored aquatint/lithograph serves as a historic visual homage to traditional English angling.
Key Historical Details
The Subject ("Jack"): In old English angling terminology, a "Jack" refers to a young or small Northern Pike (Esox lucius). The artwork depicts the specific, patient technique of using live fish as bait to lure these aggressive predators from slow-moving rivers or estate ponds.
The Dedication: The print features an inscription dedicated "to the Members of the Waltonian Society, by a Brother Angler".The Waltonian Society: This was an early, exclusive gentleman's fishing club in England named in honor of Izaak Walton, the legendary author of the 1653 angling masterpiece, The Compleat Angler.