The Ganges Breaking its Banks; with Fishing, &c.

Single sheet, (17 ½ x 22 ¼ inches). Fine aquatint engraving showing fishermen in the Ganges River (slightly toned). Second edition, first published in 1807/8. A wonderfully detailed hand-colored aquatint sporting print by Samuel Howitt from the octavo edition of his book "Oriental Field Sports; Being a Complete, Detailed, and Accurate Description of the Wild Sports of the East." This scene was rendered for the book by Howitt based on Captain Thomas Williamson's original on-site sketches. Howitt was a keen sportsman, hunter, rider, and angler. "A self-taught artist, he turned professional when financial difficulties forced him to earn a living. He drew on his enthusiasm and knowledge as a sportsman and produced sporting and natural history paintings, etchings, and illustrations. He sometimes worked in oils but more frequently in watercolours, and he was an accomplished etcher" (Ruth Cohn for DNB).