Wobourn Sheepshearing

About this work

This busy scene shows a crowded outdoor gathering with lots of people dressed in old-fashioned clothes. In the center, a group of men in hats and coats stand around a pen full of sheep. Some men are holding sticks or talking, while others tend to the animals. Nearby, a small building with a sign reading "ERECTED FRANCIS DAKE 1796" stands, and more people mill about in the background under a big tree. The sheep in the pen look calm, but the people around them seem focused on the task at hand. The whole scene is printed in a single brown tone, giving it a soft, slightly fuzzy look. This print uses the technique: etching, drypoint, aquatint.