It’s been over 160 years since some unknown artist put their talents into the making of this Oxford dairy pig drawing. It is in color as well, which probably means a second artist hand-colored each copy of the book in which this pig illustration appeared. The book it appeared in was published in 1842 and was written by John Lawrence (1753-1839). Lawrence did not identify any of the artists who helped to produce his book.
I’ve only found one modern reference source that even mentions the oxford dairy pig. Based on the narrative, I’m guessing this breed may have been inter-bred with other pigs breeds to the point of disappearing completely or being given a totally new name.
The title of the book is a whopping 39 words long but it begins with, A practical treatise on breeding, rearing, and fattening all kinds of domestic….
The original illustration included the pig standing in a barnyard. The pig is colored somewhat like a dairy cow with black splotches on a primarily white-furred body. The barn is in the background and there’s even a straw broom leaning against the barn, let behind by someone not shown.
I thought it might be helpful if I included the original version as well as the pig isolated on a white background. I’ll leave it up to you as to which might work better for you.
This image is copyright free and in the public domain anywhere that extends copyrights 70 years after death or at least 120 years after publication when the original illustrator is unknown.
