Axial Commons Image Treasury
Etching of a boy kneeling to open a rat trap as two dogs watch eagerly on a dirt floor beside a barn wall.

The Rat Trap: Boy and Two Dogs, Engraving

A boy kneels on a dirt floor beside a barn wall, lifting the lid of a wooden rat trap while two dogs watch intently. One dog, white with dark patches, leaps toward the trap on the left, and a smaller terrier stands near the trap on the right. The printed caption "THE RAT TRAP" appears below the scene in this fine-line etching.

Artist
Abraham Cooper
Date
31 January 1814
Medium
Etchings Engravings
Source
Wellcome Collection
Size
4000 × 2540 px
Download full size
Public domain · Wellcome Collection marks it Public Domain Mark; made by 1814.
Rights checked 2026-11-05 · tier A · as stated by the source: Public Domain Mark (Wellcome Collection)

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): Wellcome Collection

More from Dogs Through History

Louis Pasteur, with two dogs (referring to his work on rabies), a palm and a snake around a bowl (indicating achievement in hygiene). Chromolithograph.Louis Pasteur, with two dogs (referring to his work on rabies), a palm and a snake around Een hondje op een stoelEen hondje op een stoelTwee zittende hondenTwee zittende hondenCeremoniemeester met een hondCeremoniemeester met een hondA man travelling on a sledge drawn by five dogs in Kamchatka. Engraving by S. Middiman, 1784, after J. Webber.A man travelling on a sledge drawn by five dogs in Kamchatka. Engraving by S. Middiman, 17A legless man sitting on a wooden cart, presumably begging for alms, is surrounded by two dogs. Etching by J.T. Smith, 1816.A legless man sitting on a wooden cart, presumably begging for alms, is surrounded by two