Picture of the Week

Orange County Couple, Linda Volrath, oil on linen, 16 x 20 inches

This painting by Linda Volrath is part of an exhibition now hanging at Long Branch, a historic house and farm venue in Boyce, Virginia. Volrath’s sporting art and her husband Steven Parrish’s polished and light-hearted still life compositions will hang until the end of October.

Calling hunt historians for help identifying the individuals in this old photograph which may have been taken at the venerable Norfolk Hunt (est. 1895), west of Boston. The man in hunting attire is Henry Vaughan, MFH of the Norfolk from 1903 to 1933. In the early part of the twentieth century, Henry Vaughan was well-known up and down the Eastern seaboard as an ambassador for the growing sport of organized foxhunting in North America. He participated in the founding of the MFHA in 1907 and was elected the first secretary-treasurer of the fledgling organization. In 1918, he was named vice-chairman of the National Hunt and Steeplechase Association. Vaughan traveled extensively for both associations, judging hound shows and officiating at race meets. In 1931, he was elected president of the MFHA, a post he held until his death in 1938. I’m estimating that this photograph was taken no earlier than 1930. Vaughan would have been sixty-two years old in 1930. (I have a 1933 photo of him in the same hunting attire and appearing about the same age, if not younger.) A. Henry Higginson is supposedly in this photograph as well. Higginson would have been in his mid-fifties in 1930 and could even be about sixty in this photo. If anyone can identify Higginson and others in the picture, a great puzzle will be resolved! And we will publish what we learn and give credit accordingly. Reply through the Comments feature or by email. Posted May 28, 2021

“Airborne,” oil on linen by Linda Volrath, 12 x 16 inch

Pure exuberance is captured by Linda Volrath in this joyous oil painting of the beagle. Voodoo is a two-time stallion winner at the Bryn Mawr Hound Show (MD). Volrath is a highly respected animalist working from her studio in White Post, Virginia.

“This new painting portrays a veteran pack member of the Nantucket-Treweryn Beagles,” said Volrath. “He was fixated upon huntsman Russ Wagner, preparing to kennel up after an action-packed day in the field. Little did he know he was being my perfect model. Good boy!”

We’ve all heard of certain ladies who collect more shoes than they could possibly wear, but foxes? In a Berlin suburb in Germany recently, according to the BBC and Deutsche Welle, footwear was disappearing from homeowners’ yards—sometimes a single shoe, sometimes the pair. Residents were on alert to determine the culprit. It was a fox, caught on camera with a pair of blue flip flops in its mouth, stealing quietly across the cobblestones. Christian Meyer, the photographer, discovered the stash of more than 100 shoes: slippers, sandals, running shoes…. But Meyer’s missing shoes were not among them. Which goes to prove that even animals won’t keep all their eggs in one basket. Posted August 10, 2020 The story was brought to us by our Minneapolis correspondent, Karin Winegar.

Foxhounds in a Kennel, Christine Merrill (American, Contemporary), oil on canvas, 42 x 60 inches, framed: 49 ½ x 67 ½ inches, contact gallery for more information.

This painting of foxhounds in kennel, almost monumental in scale, caught our eye. Offered by William Secord Gallery in New York City, the composition by a contemporary artist is reminiscent of many we’ve seen by traditionalists such as John Emms (1843−1912) in particular, but the execution veers dramatically from the style of the traditional Masters. We are also reminded of Emms’s work in the very scale of the framed painting: 49-1/2 x 67-1/2 inches; Emms often worked in this large format.

Ladies, if you’ve been at a loss as to where to find a silk hunting veil for your side saddle habit, Foxhunting Life has solved your problem with the help of Daphne Wood, MFH, Live Oak Hounds (FL), who has sent us this image with her highest recommendation for fit, wear, and quality. And such a good deal! Posted May 11, 2020  

Red Rock Master and huntsman Angela Murray with her “O” boys, (l-r) Oslo and Oops  /   Nancy Stevens-Brown photo  Just before the start of the current season, Nancy Stevens-Brown shot this photo of Master and huntsman Angela Murray, Red Rock Hounds (NV), telling two of her up-and-coming “O” boys that hunt season is only weeks away. Oh, boy, were they ready! The two young dog hounds, Oslo and Oops, were unentered two-year-olds from a litter of six drafted from Walter Epp, the gentleman who started Red Rock founder and Master Lynn Lloyd with her Walker hounds. “They’re all rock stars,” says Angela. She reports that the pair are hunting brilliantly and maturing into what she hopes to be incredible breeding stock for the pack. Masters and staff are in love with the drive, stamina, grit and biddability of their “O” boys, and Oslo now has a litter on the ground. Posted March 16, 2020

Selfie by hard riding Jenny Irwin, who rarely misses a day’s sport. A winter storm blanketed the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia on a hunting day for the Blue Ridge Hunt. The gently falling snow quietly covered the drabness of the frost-killed rolling fields and bare trees. It also produced rosy cheeks and a soft, white covering upon those hardy souls who embraced the temporary beauty of a wintry day in the woods and fields. Posted January 26, 2020

“The Moment” by Yongqing Bao, Wildlife Photographer of the Year This image of a Tibetan vixen with three cubs to feed attacking a terrified Himalayan marmot earned photographer Yongqing Bao the prestigious title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year. The paralyzing wildlife moment was shot in the remote Qilian mountains of China. Competition winners were announced during an awards ceremony at London’s Museum of Natural History from 48,000 entries received from 100 countries. Posted November 19, 2019

The Green Spring Valley (MD) foxhounds were gathered at the meet, waiting to move off, when one member of the pack decided to catch a quick rest beforehand and needed to find a comfortable chair. Karen Kandra, whose photos often grace these pages, was there to shoot this unusual tactic, a humorous example of civilized life in a pack of foxhounds, from the alphas to the long-suffering. The hound providing the comfort is clearly speaking to us with its eyes. Posted September 29, 2019