🦊 Boxing Day Hunt, 1943 – The Badsworth Hunt on Foot by George Anderson Short | English Sporting Heritage in Wartime

🎨 Subject & Medium

An exceptional original watercolour on paper by George Anderson Short (1856–1945) depicting
“The Badsworth Hunt on Foot, Easingwold Boxing Day Meet, 1943 — Hounds from Thorpe Audlin Kennels under the Mastership of Major Vernon Hugh Gamester, C.B.E., and Joint Master Charles Lyon.”

Painted in wartime Yorkshire, this evocative work preserves one of England’s most enduring country traditions — the Boxing Day Hunt Meet — at a moment when rural life carried on in the face of national hardship.

🖌️ Composition & Technique

Created when Short was nearly ninety years old, this late-period work reflects his mastery of tone, structure, and restraint.

Delicate transparent washes and finely controlled brushwork capture the crisp clarity of a winter’s morning, the hounds alert and the gathering composed with quiet dignity.

His muted palette of soft greys, cool blues, and warm ochres mirrors both the austerity and poise of 1940s England.
Every element — from the frosted hedgerows to the measured arrangement of figures — reflects continuity, resilience, and rural grace.

🦮 The Hunt Tradition

Founded in 1730, the Badsworth Hunt is among Yorkshire’s most historic foxhound packs.

By 1943, wartime fuel rationing restricted mounted hunts, leading to the “hunt on foot” tradition seen here.
Major Vernon Hugh Gamester, C.B.E., and Joint Master Charles Lyon led the Boxing Day meet at Easingwold, their hounds drawn from the renowned Thorpe Audlin kennels, famed for maintaining pure English foxhound lines.

This painting stands not only as a record of rural sport, but as a portrait of national spirit, showing how communities upheld their traditions even amidst wartime austerity.

👨🎨 About the Artist: George Anderson Short (1856–1945)

A distinguished Yorkshire painter, George Anderson Short dedicated his life to capturing the landscapes, animals, and people of rural England.

His art bridges the Victorian and wartime eras — evolving from romantic countryside scenes to mature, contemplative works defined by realism and restraint.

By the 1940s, Short was among the last artists of his generation, his late watercolours now prized for their historical authenticity, technical finesse, and emotional depth.

✍️ Signed: lower right “G.A. Short 1943”
🗒️ Verso: titled “The Badsworth Hunt on Foot”
Authenticity supported by documented exhibition and sale records (see provenance below).

🖼️ Framing

Professionally reframed to museum conservation standards in a Larson Juhl gold leaf moulded frame, paired with a white and gold border mount and protected by AR70 low-reflective, UV-protective glass.

This elegant presentation highlights the warmth and depth of the composition while ensuring full archival safety.
✅ Ready to hang and display.

📏 Framed dimensions: 58.5 cm (W) × 48.5 cm (H) × 3.5 cm (D)

🏛️ Provenance

• Private Collection, Yorkshire

• Lincoln Fine Art Sale (Golding Young Est. 1864), 2023

• Verso titled “The Badsworth Hunt on Foot”

• Exhibited in Nottinghamshire Dandy and Fine Interiors, curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant Ltd

• Catalogue No. 47 in “Fields in Waiting: Rural Traditions During Wartime,” Famous Lord Hill Museum, Autumn 2025

📜 This exemplary provenance confirms both the authenticity and historical importance of the artwork.

❤️ Why Collectors Love It

This is far more than a hunting scene — it is a testament to English endurance and tradition.
Short’s work captures a community’s quiet courage and commitment to heritage during a time of national trial.

💎 Highlights:

• Authentic Yorkshire sporting heritage

• Wartime-era English art with emotional and cultural depth

• Signed 1943 watercolour of museum calibre

• Excellent provenance and exhibition record

• Conservation-standard framing

• A painting that unites beauty, history, and resilience

An outstanding acquisition for collectors of sporting art, English rural scenes, or WWII-period heritage.

🔍 Condition Report

Excellent overall condition.

• Watercolour surface clean and stable

• No fading; minor foxing in upper sky area only

• Colours remain vibrant and evenly preserved

• Mounted on acid-free archival materials

• Frame, mount, and glass pristine

🧩 Professionally framed to ensure long-term preservation and display quality.