Attractive litho depicting "A Prize Fight " an etching by early 19th century British sporting artist Sir Henry Alken features two bare-knuckle fighters squared off against one another. Certainly one of the earlier images depicting boxing this particular etching was published by T Mc.Lean on January 1 1820. Alken himself said of prize fighting "no doubt derived from the contentions of the gladiators in the arena of ancient Rome where the most bloody scenes wounds mutilation death itself were witnessed not barely with apathy but with extreme and enthusiastic delight by the spectators male and female and those in the most elevated ranks of society!"Alken then goes on to explain the civility of prize-fighting: "The appointment of umpires and seconds the shaking of hands previously to the set-to as much as to say we mean to contend fairly and like men; the general solicitude and caution in the spectators that perfect equity take place between the contending parties that no foul blow be stricken and that the fallen and vanquished be protected; and lastly the parting salute...is...so excellent a practical system of ethics as no country can boast and has chiefly contributed to form the characteristic humanity of the English nation."The etching itself appears in VG condition framed in an inexpensive and thin frame to approximately 14 3/4" x 11 3/4" an excellent display piece for a fan of boxing gladiators or ethics.