I've never thought of "coaching" as a "sport"—though I will admit that it is a highly-physical, even athletic undertaking (for the horses, the coachmen and the passengers being tossed-about the carriage). Nevertheless, this Coaching print is part of a portfolio called An Almanac of Twelve Sports, published in 1898. Sir William Nicholson provided the artwork (woodblock prints which were then reproduced as lithographs) while Rudyard Kipling provided the verse.
Some people note that there are names of the months printed under each scene—and question whether the print had been removed from a calendar. No, the images are not pulled from a calendar (not exactly). The twelve prints were each attributed to a different month of the year, which was the artists' (or publisher's) creative, seasonal conceit. There was, however, a separate printed calendar page (for 1898, with no sporting images) included within the portfolio. Think of it as a small bonus for the purchaser.
This coaching print fairly rattles with energy—as the scene nearly breaks though its framed borders. For this Coaching print, Kipling's originally-submitted text read:
Youth on the box and Liquor in the boot,
My Lord drives out with My Lord's prostitute.
The London publisher, William Heinemann, quickly nixed that verbiage—as he was aiming for a more family-friendly publication.
Click on the photo above to learn more about this handsome, energetic print.
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