VAM galleries including this work:
The Kentucky Library and Museum | Everyday Life || VAM Home

People have many reasons for beautifying the objects they use. An adorned utilitarian object may hold a special meaning or imply a certain status. This artwork was inspired by the sport of fox hunting. The relief carving shows a fox being chased by a pack of hounds and portrays the hunter’s dog and other hunted animals. A band of carved dogs’ heads and a repeated notched design circle the large end of the horn.

Hunting horns were used to call the dogs during a fox hunt, a popular sport in Kentucky beginning in the latter half of the 19th century and continuing into the 20th. Enthusiasts started a statewide fox-hunting association, and local clubs were organized around the state. Established in 1893, the National Foxhunters’ Association held 30 field trials during its first 38 years of existence in Kentucky, with Bowling Green, Dawson Springs, Lexington, Paducah, and Winchester among the host sites. The Kentucky foxhound was considered especially fine, and several strains were developed, including the Trigg foxhound in Barren County, the Maupin-Walker found in Madison County, and the Goodman found in Bourbon County.

About the Artist

Reminiscent of scrimshaw, or intricate whalebone carving, this hunting horn was made by William H. Phillips and given to his nephew, Claude J. Meredith (1874-1942) of Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Classroom Ideas

Discussion: Do you consider this and other hunting horns to be works of art? Why or why not? Why do you think the artist chose this design for the hunting horn? What artistic elements does the horn include? What materials might be used for a hunting horn?

Activity: Design your own signal horn.

Links

Read about contemporary hunting horn creator Nalda Gilmore at the Louisiana Folklife Society web site.
[www.nsula.edu/folklife/database/biography/gilmoreN.html]

Get links to directions for making a signal horn, plus lots of other related information, at the Eclectic Company.
[www.bmarch.atfreeweb.com/horn.htm]

The International Museum of the Horse web site includes a brief overview of fox hunting.
[www.imh.org/imh/his/hunt.html]