Love and Constancy Rewarded, 1785

Love and Constancy Rewarded, George Morland, 1785, British Museum.

Perhaps retreading the cliche of "The Sailor's Return," Morland's piece (as engraved by Philip Dawe) depicts a sailor sharing a peaceful moment with a beautiful young lady. In his hand he holds a miser's purse, and resting beside him is a walking stick. His jacket is somewhat longer than is typical of this late a period, but certainly not unheard of. The slash cuffs are buttoned shut, perhaps with brass buttons, though it is difficult to be certain. Our tar's neckcloth is dotted, and tucked into his waistcoat. Striped trousers complete his garb.

The title of this piece is interesting. I take it to be a call to sailors to mediate their notoriously loose morals when away from home. One wonders how effective such a call would truly be to the men who spent so long aboard ship and on foreign shores!

Untitled Print, 1770

Untitled Print, John Collet, 1770, British Museum.

In an idyllic rural setting, a tar and his woman share a moment under the shade of the trees. While she gestures to the distant church, jack offers her a purse.

He wears a cocked hat with its point forward and side curls beneath. His jacket hangs down to about the top of his thighs and is lined in white. Our seaman's waistcoat is striped and single breasted with a slight cutaway at the middle. Trousers ending well above the ankle, white stockings, and pointed toe shoes with rectangular buckles round out his slop clothes.

John Oakham Throwing out a Signal for an Enagement, 1781

John Oakham Throwing out a Signal for an Engagement, Sayer and Bennett, 1781, collection unknown.

John Oakham Throwing out a Signal for an Engagement, Sayer and Bennett, 1781, National Maritime Museum.

Lest we think that Carington Bowles was the only man to produce colorful images of sailors courting women under the cover of naval terms, here's a wonderful piece from Sayer and Bennett released in 1781. Not unlike many other images, the comely lady is enthralled by the sailor and (more specifically) the purse he dangles in his right hand. The "signal" is something largely unfamiliar to modern audiences: a "miser's purse." The miser's purse happens to look like a certain aspect of the male anatomy, a fact that is probably not lost on the artist or viewer. She returns his signal with a touch of her fan.

John Oakham wears a black round hat with gold tape and a large black bow on the left side. His hair is shoulder length and loose. A white collar is folded over a black neckcloth that hangs from its knot over a striped red waistcoat with cloth covered buttons. John's double breasted jacket is blue and lined in white, with slash cuffs and brass buttons. White slops, white stockings, and black pointed toe shoes with large rectangular buckles finish his slop clothes. Tucked under his left arm is a walking stick that he carries in a very handsome fashion.

In the National Maritime Museum version, the color of his jacket and waistcoat stripes are reversed, while his jacket buttons are white metal.