Charlie Johnson Payne, Snaffles (British, 1884-1967)
‘Tell Me A Man’s A Foxhunter And I Loves ‘im At Once’, circa 1920, signed ‘Snaffles’, inscribed ‘After Leech.’ initialled ‘S’ and titled to the original mount in watercolour, pencil and watercolour, in a later ebonised frame.
Provenance: Private Collection, UK
This image represents the reconciliation between John Jorrocks and Jim Pigg, originally by John Leech for R. S. Surtees Handley Cross, 1843.
‘Dauntless is upon him, and now a snap, a turn, a roll, and it’s all over with Reynard. Now Pigg is off his horse and in the midst of the pack, now he’s down, now he’s up, and there’s a pretty scramble going on! “Leave him! leave him!” cries Charley, cracking his whip in aid of Pigg’s efforts. A ring is quickly cleared, the extremities are whipped off, and behold, the fox is ready for eating. “Oh Pigg, you’re a brick! a fire brick!” gasps the heavily perspiring Mr. Jorrocks, throwing himself exhausted from his horse, which he leaves outside the now riotous ring, and making up to the object of his adoration, he exclaimed, “Oh, Pigg, let us fraternize!” Whereupon Jorrocks seized Pigg by the middle…’
John Leech (1817-1864) was a caricaturist and illustrator, best known for his work for Punch.
John Jorrocks was a fictional character, a down-to-earth but eccentric cockney, who very suddenly gave up his job as a grocer to become the Squire in the village of Handley Cross. He was created by Robert Smith or R. S. Surtees (1805–1864) as he was better known, an English editor, novelist and sporting writer.
Jim or James Pigg, Jorrocks’ servant, huntsman and sidekick, was obstinate, disrespectful and often drunk, but was loyal and tied to Jorrocks by their shared love of hunting.
This original work was used as a print by ‘Snaffles’, both for greetings cards, and for book plates in the deluxe print of his books.