The Country Show: Arnhel de Serra

Girl on pony yawning, The Great Yorkshire Show, 2008. This is one of Arnhel’s  favourite images from the series. It is quintessentially Middle England, where the aspirations of the doting parents are not quite met by the tired daughter. For him it is a photographic equivalent to the work of Norman Thelwell. Described as the ‘unofficial artist of the British countryside,’ Thelwell was best-known for his pony cartoons. The Museum holds examples of Thelwell’s work, one of which is a commentary on the contrast between rural and urban.

Man showing Welsh Cob, The Royal Welsh Show, 2010. Traditional Welsh Cobs are paraded and judged on a Wednesday. Arnhel likes the juxtaposition between the beautiful animal in the foreground and the advertising hoarding in the background. The Museum has many examples of press photographs of cup winners and other champion animals at agricultural events throughout the UK, including fine welsh cobs exhibited at the Royal Welsh Show.

Car enthusiasts, The East of England Show, 2010. Country shows are no longer just about farmers and farming but are places to celebrate all sorts of heritage. Arnhel is amazed by the way vintage car enthusiasts drive to a showground, park, set up, and sit down for the rest of the day. Then they pack away and drive on to the next show to do the same thing all over again. Lots of other enthusiasts take part in shows. Tractor collectors bring their classic models, often including other examples of the Museum’s ever-popular ‘little grey Fergie’, or Ferguson TE20.

Holstein being photographed, The Royal Cornwall County Show, 2009. Champion livestock are normally portrayed in side profile. The Holstein Society have a particular way of photographing the breed. The surreal dance shown here is an attempt to ensure the dairy cow is standing correctly. Feed is shaken in front to keep the head up, the forelegs are placed on a raised green plinth to keep the spine straight, and the tail is given an extension. Farming press photo collections hold many examples of images of champions chosen from contact sheets and carefully manipulated for publication.

Victoria sponges, The Moreton-in-Marsh Show, 2010. In this image a judge helps to remove the protective sheeting covering entries to the cake classes. The atmosphere can get quite heated when the public are let in to judge the judge’s decisions. Cookery and prepared foods have long played a prominent role in country shows, often bolstered by trade stands, demonstrations, and the input of important rural organisations like the Women’s Institute (WI). The WI are reknowned for their ‘Jam and Jerusalem’ image, home crafts, and recipe books.

Dog and woman, The Isle of Bute Show, 2010. Arnhel captured this shot on a miserable, rainy show day in Scotland. He saw this woman with her dog, waiting to compete in the dog show. Not only does the dog appear to have a similar hair style but the woman is wearing one of a handful of clothing brands that have become emblematic of a particular, middle class country style. Back in the 1980s this would have been a Barbour jacket but fashions change.

Woman in red dress, The New Forest and Hampshire County Show, 2004. This lady was a farmer’s wife who had been asked to act as cake judge for the day. She knew that Arnhel was having fun with her but was very happy to be in on the joke. She reminded him of caricatures by artist Beryl Cook, who in turn was influenced by Stanley Spencer. Similar themes of parochial Englishness crop up in many different contexts, even comic books. But these are not always gentle jokes. Some are critical or cruel about the farming community.

Jacuzzi, The Pembrokeshire County Show, 2006. Here a police officer and a hot tub salesman meet for a chat. Around 50% of a showground is commonly set aside for commercial use. Jacuzzis may not seem to be particularly relevant to an agricultural show but the rental income from such vendors is essential to keep show societies solvent or profitable. This is a reminder of how much life has changed in the countryside, where even the electrical equipment for washing clothes arrived comparatively late.

Backs of farmers and young boy on shoulders, The Westmoreland County Show, 2005. This image shows some of the unspoken dress code of british farming and hints at the generational traditions of this world. For Arnhel this image has an iconic feel, and exudes the emblematic visual power of tweed jackets. These formal garments seem to scream ‘rural Britain.’ This image may feel masculine but we must remember that not all of those who wear farming tweed are men.

Breed Society dinner, The Great Yorkshire Show, 2011. Livestock handlers are never far from being able to care for their animals. This image couldn’t be a better example where they are all sit down to an annual Society dinner within a metre of their animals. Sometimes farming Society dinners are slightly more formal affairs. However, animals never seem to be far away from proceedings.

Woman and rabbit, The Edenbridge and Oxted Agricultural Show, 2008. It is quite common for exhibitors to blow-dry an animal whilst prepping them for competition. In this photograph, a competitor has reversed the air flow in a vacuum cleaner and is blow-drying a long-haired rabbit. If you go to other tents, often quite early in the morning, you will see exactly the same kind of careful beautification happening to sheep, pigs, cattle, and even llamas.

Foxhound display, The Festival of Hunting, ca.2008. History is important to Arnhel and this image shows a scene that remains almost unchanged since the first Peterborough Foxhound Show in 1878. It offers a window on the lives of a group of people who think it important to maintain tradition. Arnhel’s image echoes a famous painting of the 1978 Centenary show by Terence Cuneo. Hunting with dogs was banned in the UK in 2004.