Izaak Walton’s The Compleat Angler of 1653 is the classic example of early fishing literature, but a Treatyse of Fysshynge with an Angle—supposedly written by Juliana Berners, the prioress of Sopwell Nunnery near St. Albans, England—was first published in 1496, 150 years earlier. In this watercolor, the Victorian illustrator Richard “Dickie” Doyle, himself a keen angler, offers a humorous view of the nun and her chaotic students, few of whom seem dedicated to the sport.
Richard Doyle (1824–1883), Dame Julianna Berners Teaching Her Young Pupils the Art of Fishing, 1882–83. Watercolor and opaque watercolor over graphite. Thaw Collection, 2017.73