The Female Bruisers, 1768

The Female Bruisers, John Collet, 1768, Museum of London.

The Female Bruisers, engraved by J. Goldar after John Collet, 1770, Yale University Lewis Walpole Library.

Once again I am indebted to Adam Hodges-LeClaire for pointing me to this piece.

John Collet pops up here and there on this website. His A Rescue, or the Tars Triumphant is one of my absolute favorite pieces.  I had glanced at this piece in the past, but didn't put much thought into it, as it did not have an apparent maritime connection.

That is, until Adam pointed me to the right of the frame.

Two sailors, happy to take in the free entertainment of a pair of 'Female Bruisers,' restrain a madam from interfering. These mariners are the opposite for the righteous defenders of prostitutes Collet extolled in The Tars Triumphant.

The Museum of London Version is the original, but is also low resolution, so I'm pairing it with a high resolution print from the Yale University Lewis Walpole Library to tease out the details.

The sailor in the foreground wears a cocked hat bound in gold or white tape over a loose white bob wig. His blue jacket with white metal buttons is double breasted, and the mariners' cuffs are open. A closely knotted handkerchief of indeterminate pattern hangs from his neck.  It rests over a single breasted waistcoat with narrow horizontal stripes. His check shirt is peeking out from under the jacket. Red breeches are tied at the knee. His shoes bear rectangular buckles.

His mate wears a single breasted jacket over a plain single breasted waistcoat. Our mariner's shirt is open, and he is notably without a handkerchief.

Saint George for England, 1781

Saint George for England, Carrington Bowles, 1781, British Museum.

At the base of this print is a poem, surmounted by a bowl of punch:

Behold your Saint with Glorious English Fare,
Noble Sirloin, Rich Pudding and strong Beer.
For you my Heart's of Oak, for your Regale,
Here 's good old English Stingo Mild & Stale.
This Porter is by Famous Calvert made,
Justly Renowned of all the Brewing Trade.
Such cheer as this will make you Bold & Strong,
Who'd not on such a Noble Saint, Rely on.

Lifting his foaming tankard with a smile, our jolly tar is Saint George himself, patron of England. He is the first in a series of seven "Tutelar Saints" (meaning guardian saints) produced by Bowles. Each represents a different nation, riding a different mount, and carrying a different indulgence. Patrick on a horse with wine for Ireland, Andrew on a unicorn with snuff for Scotland, and David on a goat with leeks. The remaining three are for Spain, France, and Italy, but I have not yet found the images nor the saints connected with those.

I have often pointed out on this blog that the British nation was increasingly personified in the image of a common sailor as the eighteenth century progressed. Here we see that trend at its logical conclusion. Saint George is no longer a knight on horseback lancing a dragon, but is a sailor with a comically oversized sword driven through the white flag of France and raising a good Calvert & Co. porter to his victory.

His reversed cocked hat is festooned with a large badge bearing the cross of Saint George, and topped with acorns. Beneath it he wears a bob wig. George's dotted neckcloth is draped over his checked shirt, jacket, and sword.

Bowles couldn't decide on which pattern to make George's single breasted waistcoat, so he alternates between plaid, horizontally striped, and vertically striped. His jacket is piped in a plain tape, around the cuffs, lapels, and pocket. George's trousers end above the ankle and are remarkably wide bottomed. Plain stockings run into shoes with oval buckles.

Britain's Rights Maintained, 1755

Britain's Rights Maintained, or French Ambition Dismantled, Louis Philippe Boitard. 1755, Boston Rare Maps.

If you haven't visited Boston Rare Maps, you really should. There is an amazing collection of original printed images and maps that you can purchase. Definitely worth checking out.

Britain's Rights Maintained, a political cartoon by Boitard, was printed in the early days of the French and Indian War/Seven Years War. Another copy is held at the Library of Congress. His is an overly optimistic piece boasting about British victory well before it was assured. Indeed, 1755 left little for the British to celebrate.

Neptune himself points to a map of British North America, his finger resting on the border between New York and Quebec. Posturing with his trident as if to spear the French cock at his feet, Neptune declares "This for the Honour of the British Flag, Conducted by the Nobly-Spirited Anson." At this time, George Anson, hero of the previous war, was First Lord of the Admiralty.

Behind the British lion on the far left, a group of sailors circle around a pillar to the triumphs of George II. They are uniformly dressed in petticoat trousers, and beneath two of them are visible long ribbons. These ribbons are either to fasten the breeches at their knees, or serve as garters for their stockings. The men wave round hats over their heads, and a couple appear to be wearing bob wigs. Their jackets end about the middle of the thigh, and a few carry sticks.

On the far right, a single sailor, named Jack Tar, rests his hand on the shoulder of Monsieur Le Politiciene. The monsieur is despondent over the loss of America (again, a far cry from certain). Jack does not comfort the poor fellow, but mocks him:

Hark ye Mounseer! was that your Map of North America? what a vast tract of Land you had! pity the Right Owner shou'd take it from you.

Jack wears a reversed cocked hat over a bob wig, and a plain cloth at his neck. His jacket is loose fitting and ends below the top of the thigh, draping over his petticoat trousers. As with the other sailors, he wears long ribbons at his knee. A checked shirt is visible beneath a waistcoat with narrow vertical stripes. His shoes are pointed toe, and the tongue hangs out from his buckle, perhaps in "sailor's fashion."

The Antigallican Spirit, 1750's-60's

The Antigallican Spirit, Thomas Ewart, c.1750's-60's, British Museum.

"Would Statesmen but this Picture View-" begins Ewart's inscription on this engraving, "Wear Hearts as honest and as True, the Haughty Gauls with Purse proud Spain, Would be our Vassals on the Main." Ewart offered this one penny broadside, complete with strained prose, lauding the successes of the Antigallican privateer.

Antigallican, under Captain William Forster, was a privateer out of London in the Seven Years War where she met with enough success to inspire a song.

Public Advertiser, January 3, 1757, Page 4.

I have searched through newspapers of the time, and find references to privateers named Antigallican out of Liverpool and Newcastle, but I have yet to find one captained by Forster in 1781, which the British Museum claims is the possible year of publication for this piece. It is possible that I have overlooked a source. It is also possible that this broadside is a fond remembrance of recent memories. Britain's successes in the Seven Years/French and Indian War were fresh in the minds of the British people, even as the fortunes of the American War were at a low ebb.

Given that Thomas Ewart published primarily in the 1750's and 1760's, it is more likely that this piece was also published in that period, when the topic of Forster and the Antigallican would have been more relevant.

Standing ashore, a pair of sailors shake hands. The first offers a toast: "Here's to Our noble apt Forster and a safe Arrival of the Three Prizes in the River Thames." The toast is continued by his mate: "May the french Fleet be put up to Auction & the French King not have a penny of money to bid for it."

Holding a punch bowl, this sailor is dressed in a single breasted jacket with open slit cuffs over a checked shirt. Crossing his body is a baldrick for his sword, a fine piece with an animal head pommel. His hair is short and loose. Our sailor's neckcloth is plain and tied close to his neck. Petticoat trousers hand to just below the knee, and the ties of his breeches are peaking out beneath. At his feet is a round hat with a short, conical crown and a ribbon hanging off.

His mate wear a plain neckcloth tied close to the neck and a plain white shirt beneath a jacket that ends above the top of the thigh and open slit cuffs. Above his head he waves a round hat, and a sword hangs from his left hip. His plain trousers end just below the middle of the calf.

The Sailor & Purser, 1788

The Sailor & Purser, J. Cole, 1788, Washington State University 18th Century Street Ballads.

Jack Black, the common tar in this broadside, loses his cool when the ship's purser makes a pass at "buxom Jane" while Jack entertains her at the sign of the Anchor.

If not for the explicitly printed date of 1788, I would think this piece was late. Jack's neckcloth is hanging very low, and tied in an odd bow. His trousers also drag below his feet in a manner I've only ever seen at my esteemed brother blogger's site Napoleonic Tars: 1790-1820. The style appears to be one popular in the 1810's, and this is the first I've seen of it in my era of study.

He wears his hair short and curled, with a double breasted white waistcoat, a checked shirt, and a jacket that ends about the top of the thigh.

Naval Agent's Trade Card, c.1779-83

Naval agent's trade card, engraved by W. Jones, c.1779-83, British Museum.

Edward Hooper made his living as a prize agent. When legitimate vessels (both civilian and naval) were seized by privateers or naval vessels, they and their cargoes were sold. This sale was divided into shares that the owners, officers, and crew of the victorious vessel would receive. Hooper's job was to divide and allocate those shares, and his pay was a portion of them.

London Gazette, June 28 - July 1, 1783, Page 2

There are a couple references in 1761 to a Lieutenant Edward Hooper of the Royal Navy cutter Success, and it is possible that Hooper began his career as a naval officer before transitioning into the financial sphere. There is not yet any proof that these are the same Edward Hooper.

London Chronicle, March 10, 1761, Page 6.

Hooper's occupation allowed him to pursue the life of a gentleman.When making a donation to the Marine Society in 1774, the Society took out an advertisement in which his contribution was acknowledged, explicitly stating that Hooper was "A Gentleman."

London Evening Post, March 24, 1774, Page 2.

He also found the cash to support Innes Munro's 1789 book Narrative of the Military Operations on the Coromandel Coast.

Hooper's generosity did not extend to those who wronged him. He appears on occasion in the archives of the Old Bailey bringing cases against men and women who sought to defraud him with false promissory notes. The first to be brought to trial was a man named John Williams in 1763, who was acquitted of the charge, as was Mary Collins in 1765. Perhaps this inspired others to try stealing from Hooper, but Elizabeth Dunn in 1765, Catherine Dicks in 1781, her husband Thomas Dicks that same year, Joseph Scott ('a Black without feet') in 1783, were all sentenced to death for the same crime. The jury recommended Scott be shown mercy.

Joseph Phipps was in Hooper's office to claim legitimate prize money in late 1783, but his greed and impatience got the best of him. Phipps slipped out of his shoes to sneak quietly upstairs, and into Hooper's private quarters where he pocketed kerchiefs, shirts and buttons. Phipps escaped the noose, but was sentenced to transportation.

Trade cards, including Edward Hooper's, were advertisements meant to draw in potential customers, the same way that a business card does today. Hooper and his engraver, W. Jones, chose to include the customers themselves: a naval officer and a seaman. They are surrounded by the tools and symbols of their profession, including oars, a trident, octant, spyglass, and fouled anchor. A sea battle is depicted beneath a description of Hooper's occupation, which is then flanked by the sailor and officer.

The officer wears a captain's dress uniform per the regulations of 1767 to 1787, which helps to date this piece. He proclaims 'Let us bang the Don's' referring to the Spanish enemies of the Crown. In 1779, the Spanish joined France and the United States against Britain during the American Revolutionary War, which helps us to date this piece.

The sailor answers his captain with 'I am with you Heart & Hand.' He wears a round hat with upturned brim and conical crown over a bob wig. At his neck is a tightly wrapped and long check neckcloth that matches the pattern of his shirt. His single breasted waistcoat either cuts off at the waist or is tucked into the trousers, and is open to half way down his torso. The jacket ends about the middle of the thigh and had flap pockets below the waist and open slit cuffs. His trousers cut off at the top of the calf and a close fit with narrow vertical stripes. White stockings run to shoes with rectangular buckles, and he holds a stick in his left hand.

Landing at Middleburgh, Friendly Islands, 1774-1777

Landing of Captain Cook at Middleburg, Friendly Islands, William Hodges, between 1774-1777, National Maritime Museum.

William Hodges, the artist of this painting, was a witness to this scene. Hodges sailed aboard the Resolution with Cook on Cook's second voyage, and documented numerous scenes along the way. According to the curators at the British Museum, Hodges' painting documents Cook landing with his sailors at the island of Eau, accompanied by the Tongan chief Tioonee who bears a plantain leaf aloft.

Unlike other paintings of Cook's voyages that I've examined, Hodges' piece gives us a good view of common sailor's clothing. Common sailors are often given little detail in his paintings for a reason: the artist Hodges was trying to document previously unknown people, lands, plants, and animals, not what British subjects were already familiar with.

At the bow of the jolly boat is a sailor laying his oar into the sand to slow the vessel. He wears a short brimmed round hat and a waistcoat that hangs open. His white shirt is rolled up well above his elbows, tucked into his petticoat trousers.

Amidships stands captain Cook leaning on his musket, and between him and Tioonee is a sailor in the water, guiding the boat in by hand. He is bare headed, wearing an open white shirt and an open blue jacket.

Aft of Cook are three oarsmen. In the foreground is a sailor with a red waistcoat. A black round hat and short brim is atop his head, and a checked shirt is rolled up well above his elbows. The mariner appears is also wearing a dotted neckcloth.

Beside him is an oarsmen wearing a round hat and blue waistcoat. Standing in the water and guiding the boat by hand stands a sailor in a blue jacket. At the stern is an oarsman in an open blue jacket and a single breasted waistcoat. This jack wears a pair of trousers and his shirt is notably open, lacking a neck cloth.

A quick note on dates. The National Maritime Museum's catalog entry states a wider range than I give the painting. The event depicted occurred in 1774, and so could not have been earlier than that. However, prints of this painting begin to appear in 1777, and so the painting must have been completed or nearly so by then. Thus, my date range differs from that proposed by the National Maritime Museum.

The Times, 1762

The Times, artist unknown, 1762, Lewis Walpole Library.

This print is an imitation of Hogarth's much more well known "The Times." One particular piece of the print confirms this:

The wagon, under guard, is marked "Galleons." It represents the prizes taken by the Royal Navy during the Seven Years/French and Indian War. A nearly identical scene is in the background of Hogarth's "The Times," and in almost the same place: the mid-left background. Hogarth's version was more specific in labeling the wagon as bearing loot from the Spanish ship Hermione. 

In the foreground of the wagon a rowdy sailor is starting some mischief, perhaps egged on by the trumpet blaring "Britons Strike!" Given the length of the rod that his target bears, I would guess him to be part of the Watch. He wears either a round hat turned up both front and back, or a reversed cocked hat. His jacket is without cuffs that we can see, and is open to reveal a plain shirt and neckcloth.

To the right of the brawling tar is another pair. One raises his sword to dash the sleeping Dutchman, but his arm is held by a shipmate. Behind them is a map of Minorca, an island in the West Indies taken by the French after they defeated the Royal Navy. This was the same battle that Admiral Byng shied away from, leading to his humiliation and execution.

The tar with the raised sword wears a reversed cocked hat, a remarkably short neckcloth, and a jacket with open mariner's cuffs. It ends about the top of the thigh. He also wears a single breasted waistcoat that is open to about halfway down, and bears flap pockets at the waist. Beneath is a checked shirt. His slops end just below the knees.

Steadying the arm of aggression, the other tarpawlin wears a darker hat, though I'm not positive as to its type. His jacket matches that of his mate, as does his single breasted waistcoat and slops. His right arm pokes out from under the mariner's cuff of his jacket, revealing another checked shirt. He too wears a very short neckcloth.

A dead fiddler lays propped up against the far left of the frame, and beside him a pair of ragged jacks who may have done the deed. The first kneels beside the dead man, wearing a round hat with an upturned brim, and waving his cudgel toward the figure at center. His slops are pulled back just enough to let us see his breeches, but not enough to give us any detail on them. He wears no waistcoat nor neckcloth. As with the others, his jacket's cuffs are opened.

The same is true of the tar behind him. Likewise wielding a cudgel, he wears a reversed cocked hat, and a suit of slop clothes that perfectly match the sailors to the far right of the frame, down to the checked shirt!

Captain Andrew Wilkinson, R.N., 1755

Courtesy of The Mariners’ Museum and Park, Newport News, VA

Captain Andrew Wilkinson, Gabriel Mathias, 1755, Mariners' Museum.

As I have said before, the focus of this blog is the clothing of common sailors, and so I tend to filter out images of officers. Thank goodness that Jeanne Willoz-Egnor, Director of Collections Management for the Mariners' Museum and Park in Newport News, VA brought this to my attention!

Officers of all ranks were required to know the art of the mariner, and it was not uncommon in the eighteenth century to see officers aboard ship in clothes that were not unlike that of the sailor. What is less common is to see those practical and low class clothes being worn in a portrait!

Wilkinson was certainly a skilled captain, and his portrait is a reflection of that. He was proud of his ability to manage a ship and her crew. As such, this image is an indication of how an officer would distinguish himself as visibly superior to the average tarpawlin, while adapting the undeniably more advantageous aspects of sailor's garb into their own wardrobe.

A close-up of Captain Wilkinson's head really throws the blend of fancy and practical into relief. His cap is striped, much in the same fashion as the knit caps sailors and watermen were known to wear. Yet on closer inspection, the nature of the cap is probably more akin to a gentleman's banyan cap.

It appears that his cap is fur lined! Both more comfortable and more expensive than your average sailor would have.

Captain Wilkinson's torso likewise demonstrates the conflict between his class and his trade. The cravat is of a fancy pattern, and neatly tied at that. It is tucked into a fancy brocade waistcoat with matching fabric buttons. The only concession this gentry waistcoat makes to our Captain's profession is that it is somewhat shorter than the average mid 1750's waistcoat.

While the waistcoat and cravat scream his station in life, the simple checked shirt and short jacket betray the salt in Captain Wilkinson's veins. The simple jacket is without a collar or lapels, and his simple flap pockets have no buttons.

A closeup of his sleeves is particularly enlightening. Firstly, his left hand (the one supporting the frayed line) comes from a sleeve that shows its seam: right along the underside of the arm. Secondly, his right arm is clad in an open mariner's cuff, but with a twist.

Common sailors are often depicted as simply leaving the cuffs open, but this jacket is designed to leave its cuff open. There is fully space for two more buttons on that cuff, yet there are neither buttons nor even buttonholes. Unless my eyes deceive me, there aren't even buttonholes for the outermost buttons. What we do see in the gap is another strip of fabric intended to provide warmth or protection in the open space, while still allowing the freedom of movement that sailors treasured from open cuffs. 

Absolutely fascinating piece!

The Sailor's Return, or British Valor Rewarded, 1783

The Sailor's Return, or British Valor Rewarded, S.B. after Edward Young, 1783, Wellcome Library.

The Wellcome Library is a new source to me. In their possession are a good number of images, including many historical pieces that are offered for free. Check them out!

The 1780's saw an increase in prints, cartoons, and paintings that called for more charity toward the unfortunate sailors who suffered for the Crown. This image is no different. Using the title "Sailor's Return" may be an ironic reference to the proliferation of romanticized images of young sailors coming home to their faithful and beautiful wives and sweethearts. No woman is here to greet the crippled tars.

Our Jack here wears an odd hat. It may be a tall Dutch cap, or perhaps just a short brimmed round hat with a tall crown. Either way, he wears what appears to be a short jacket (judging by the cut of his cuffs), except that it is tucked into his striped trousers.

His mate's clothing is a bit more detailed, though the seaman himself suffers terribly. Missing an arm, a leg, and an eye, he hobbles on a single cane with round hat outstretched. The short jacket is without buttons, over a checked shirt which is tucked into a plaid pair of trousers. At his neck is a solid colored neckcloth.

Watson and the Shark, 1778

Watson and the Shark, John Singleton Copley, 1778, National Gallery of Art.

For some reason, I had neglected to include what is possibly the most famous image of British sailors in our time period until nearly 200 posts into this blog.

Copley's piece is a wonderful composition, and well beyond my poor ability to interpret fine art. Historically, Brook Watson, the title figure of the piece, was 14 when a shark attacked him in the West Indies. Though he lost his leg in the attack, Watson survived and became a prominent merchant and Tory politician. It has been said that "Watson and the Shark" is an allegory for Britain: British sailors, the personification of the empire, rescue the helpless child from the sea and strike a blow against the beast that would consume him. Coming after the stunning defeat at Saratoga, the loss of Watson's leg may represent the likely loss of the North American colonies.

Of course, there are several interpretations, and we aren't examining the metaphor today, but rather the sailor's clothing.

Atop the bow and with eyes wide, a tar thrusts the boat hook at the shark. His hair is long (as are most sailors in the piece), and he wears a dark single breasted short jacket (black or a very dark blue) with death's head buttons. His three button mariner's cuffs are buttoned shut. At the back of the coat is a piece of sky blue fabric, but I haven't yet placed what precisely that is; perhaps lining? He wears no waistcoat, but does wear white slops with a two button fly closure over dark blue breeches with gray stockings.

Further astern three men work the oars, though cast worried eyes to poor Watson. The furthest tar aft wears an odd gray overshirt or jacket above a white shirt. His neckcloth is black and his trousers or breeches are brown with a broad fall fly. On the oar are a pair of sailors: one with a black round hat with upturned brim, yellow dotted red neckcloth, and white shirt, the other in a striped shirt or jacket and blue neckcloth.

Leaning over the gunnels with outstretched hands, a pair of sailors cling to each other and to their vessels. One wears a striped shirt and buff colored breeches or trousers along with a checked red neckcloth. Of the other we only see a plain white shirt.

Clutching one of the potential rescuers, this old and balding jack casts his eyes to the shark. He wears a double breasted and loose fitting jacket with no waistcoat or neckcloth, and an open white shirt.

With a loose coil in one hand, and the other cast out, it appears that this mariner has just cast a lifeline to Watson. He, like the fellow helping the oarsmen, wears a sort of overshirt, with another shirt beneath it. His red neckcloth is striped and his trousers are white.

Finally, visible just behind the brave tarpawlin at the bow is another oarsman:

A black neckcloth, blue checked shirt, and brown waistcoat with horizontal blue or gray stripes make up his slop clothes.

The Guardian Frigate, 1790

The Guardian frigate, commanded by Lieutenant Riou, surrounded by islands of ice in the South Seas, on which she struck 24th December 1789, in her passage to Botany Bay, with the departure of the crew in the jolly boat, Carington Bowles, 1790, Yale University Lewis Walpole Library.

The long title of the piece sums the event up rather nicely. While traveling to Australia with supplies and convicts, the HMS Guardian struck an iceberg and nearly sank. Her crew piled onto the boats to make their escape. Bowles has crammed as many tars as he could possibly fit into the piece, and so we have a lot to see!

At the center of the piece are two officers. The central figure, gesturing up to the heavens, is Lieutenant Edward Riou, captain of the HMS Guardian. Remarkably skilled and undeniably gallant, he allowed most of the crew and their convict passengers to load into the boats, while he and a skeleton crew saved the vessel, navigating the crippled and barely afloat craft nine weeks to safety. Riou would later be killed at the Battle of Copenhagen, meriting his commanding officer Horatio Nelson's praise.

At the far left, and clasping the hand of Captain Riou, is a common tar.

He wears a round hat with a short, floppy brim, a solid colored neckcloth, a short jacket with metal buttons and open slash cuffs, a waistcoat with narrow horizontal stripes, plain slops, and dark colored stockings.

In the jolly boat are the rest of the crew.

In the bow and clutching a line is a tarpawlin with a jacket and open slash cuffs, a solid colored neckcloth, and a round hat with a narrow brim, just like his mate aboard the sinking vessel. Directly behind him is a chap in a knit cap. Further astern and looking rather surly (perhaps because he is sandwiched between everyone else) is a Jack with a checked shirt, white neckcloth, no waistcoat, a round hat, and a short jacket with metal buttons and open slash cuffs. With an arm outstretched, bearing a spyglass, another mariner is clad in the same jacket and round hat as all the others, save for the waist pockets on his jacket. He too is without a waistcoat. Clasping his hands in prayer is a jacket with a double breasted jacket with metal buttons and turned back cuffs (rather than the usual mariner's or slash cuffs), a darker neckcloth, an open waistcoat, and a round hat. Our last sailor doesn't seem too terribly perturbed by all of this, and happily holds the mast in one hand, and a boat hook in the other. He wears a checked shirt, what appears to be a striped neckcloth, short jacket with metal buttons, and short brimmed round hat.