Artwork
H Beard Print Collection
H Beard Print Collection is a print by the Romanticist artist John Kay. It dates from 1785 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
The fight is set in a particular location, the unfinished kitchen of the Edinburgh Assembly Rooms, which adds a unique context to the scene.
The title of this work is H Beard Print Collection, created by John Kay in 1785.
This print is interesting because it shows a specific event, a cock fight, which was a common activity at the time. The fight is set in a particular location, the unfinished kitchen of the Edinburgh Assembly Rooms, which adds a unique context to the scene.
You can learn more about this style by looking into the movement of Romanticism.
Overview
John Kay’s 1785 hand‑coloured print, titled H Beard Print Collection, depicts a cock‑fighting match between participants from Lanark and Haddington. The scene is staged inside the partially completed kitchen of Edinburgh’s Assembly Rooms, offering a glimpse of contemporary leisure set against an unfinished urban interior.
Subject & Meaning
The work records a popular eighteenth‑century pastime—cock fighting—highlighting regional rivalry by naming the two counties. By placing the contest in a public building under construction, Kay underscores the mingling of social spectacle with the everyday spaces of the city.
Technique & Style
Executed as a hand‑coloured print, the image combines line engraving with applied pigments, a common practice for reproducing detailed scenes before the advent of photography. The composition’s emphasis on lively action and atmospheric setting aligns with the emerging Romantic interest in vivid, emotive subjects.
History & Provenance
Created in 1785, the print forms part of Kay’s broader documentation of Edinburgh life. It was later incorporated into the H Beard Print Collection, a compilation of his works that has circulated among collectors of Scottish visual culture.
Context
Cock fighting was a widespread entertainment in late‑eighteenth‑century Scotland, often organized by local groups. The Assembly Rooms, a hub for social gatherings, were still under construction, reflecting the city’s rapid development during the period.
Artist & collection
Artist
John Kay made detailed prints of Scottish figures and scenes in the late 1700s and early 1800s.
