Sticking with the Pig

 
Pig-sticking was a sport of hunting pigs from horseback with a spear, practiced by British colonists in India. It was a pastime deeply associated with character building, militancy, and masculinity among British soldiers. Many of the images from this period aim to capture the thrill of the hunt and is part of a long-standing genre where wild pigs are represented in a spectacular and combatative display.

But there were some unusual illustrations that offered alternative perspectives - the pig's, in fact. The three pictures below are representative of this.

The first extends sympathy for the terror experienced by the vulnerable mother & children during a hunt. The second seems to lend a victorious boar nobility & reason above the human, where he asks "shall I (kill the hunter)?" and so also implying "Shall I not?". The third is a classic example of a satirical twist on hunting, where the human becomes game for the animal hunter.