Virtual Representation, 1775

Virtual Representation, artist unknown, 1775, British Museum.

Virtual Representation, artist unknown, 1775, Digital Commmonwealth.

Threatened by a Scot, a Jesuit, and others, an American wielding a cudgel is backed by a sailor who declares, 'I will be wounded with you.' Beside them, a blindfolded Britannia wanders dangerously close to 'The Pit Prepared for Others.'

Our tar wears a reversed cocked hat under which is a bob wig. His neckcloth is checkered or plaid, but the color has faded to where I can't be sure what color it was meant to be. There is little detail on his jacket and much of it is hidden from our view. His trousers are blue (though perhaps originally intended to be white, ending at about the middle of the calf, showing off white stockings, pointed toe shoes, and oval buckles.

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.

A New Sea Quadrant, 1748

A New Sea Quadrant, George Adams, 1748, Houghton Library, Harvard University via Capitu Tumblr.

George Adams entered the navigational instrument business at an early age, apprenticing under James Parker before opening his own shop in 1738. Ten years later he had developed a new instrument for taking latitudinal readings. Intended to be more versatile than the backstaff and less expensive than the octant, Adams' quadrant did not eclipse the recently invented octant, nor did it survive the growth of the soon to be invented sextant. There is only one surviving example of his invention, which now resides in the collection of the Mariners' Museum and Park in Newport News, Virginia.

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

In advertising his creation, Adams depicts a common sailor lifting the device to his eye and sighting the horizon. The choice of a common sailor may have been to emphasize ease of use.

He wears a simple cocked hat with a button loop on the left side and no binding. Under his short hair is a plaid neckcloth stuffed into the uppermost buttonhole of his jacket.

The cuffs of his single breasted jacket are open, with only one of the three buttons in place. At his waist is a flap pocket turned vertically. This is the first time I've seen such an arrangement on a sailor's jacket. His waistcoat is plain and single breasted.

Ending just above the bottom of his calf, our sailor's trousers are held at the waist with a simple two button closure. He wears white stockings and pointed toe shoes with roughly rectangular buckles.

Next Sculls at the Adm**ty, 1744

"Next Sculls at the Adm**ty," George Bickham the Younger, 1744, British Museum.

In this political cartoon, Bickham pokes fun at the new appointees to the Admiralty. Bickham is highly critical of the Admiralty, blaming them in this piece for both the loss of the Victory (launched 1737) and the Battle of Toulon. As a sidenote, the Victory was discovered in 2008 and is a fascinating find. She dragged well above 1,000 crewmen down with her.

Gentlemen of various vices dot the scene, but our interest is held at the far right. Two grown sailors and a young boy are gathered by a woman who is addressed as "Moll ye Wh[or]e."

The central figure in this group is a sailor with a small untrimmed cocked hat with the point forward. His hair is in a short bob style, and a check neckcloth hangs from his neck. Our mariner's single breasted jacket ends below the waist and over a single breasted waistcoat with vertical stripes. Buttoned mariner's cuffs are just visible on his sleeves. Notably, his trousers are darker than the jacket. Pointed toe shoes with rectangular buckles are fitted to his feet. Tucked under his right arm is a sailor's walking stick.

To the left of the sailor is a young boy, possibly a ship's boy, given his dress. In one hand he hold a cap of some sort, and he holds a sailor's stick in the other. His single breasted jacket ends at the waist, and hangs over his trousers. The trousers end at about the top of the calf, and are considerably lighter than that of the adult tar beside him.

Behind them stands a sailor with a concerned look on his face. He wears a jockey style cap with a button at its peak and a brim that is a considerably different shade than that of the crown. His hair is also cut in a bob style, and like his mate he wears a checked or plaid neckcloth. His jacket is without collar or cuffs (that we can see) and is double breasted. Beneath is a waistcoat that appears to be (but is not certainly) single breasted.

The Greenwich Pensioner, 1790

The Greenwich Pensioner, Charles Dibdin, 1790, Walpole Library.

Greenwich Hospital provided a safety net for the sailors who kept Britain safe and flourishing. Deductions from the pay of merchant and naval sailors helped to provide for their care when they were disabled, as is this man. Dibdin created this piece (which was published by Carrington Bowles) to commemorate those sailors who gave everything for the nation, and to celebrate the way the nation cared for them.

Our pensioner claims to have sailed on the Rover, a ship that I am fairly certain was invented for this song, as a quick search hasn't turned anything up on an eighteenth century ship rigged naval vessel by that name prior to 1790.

Jack doesn't wear his slop clothes anymore, but a suit of clothes that hint at his former profession.

A nice cocked hat bound in tape is cocked very far to one side, or perhaps worn backward. The balding pensioner's wile waist is still worn rather short, and he is clearly balding. About his neck is a checked neckcloth, tucked into a single breasted waistcoat. The sleeves of his coat (for it is too long to be called a jacket) end with mariner's cuffs which are also bound in tape.

As you would expect of any good sailor (retired or not), our pensioner carries a stick under his arm and a pipe between his fingers.

The most interesting detail of the entire piece is his finely carved wooden leg. A sort of scoop is fitted atop it to cradle the back of his stump. From there, a belt wraps around his thigh to hold it in place. It is a well turned piece of dark wood. His good leg is fitted with a pain stocking and pointed toe shoe with large rectangular buckle.

A New Way to Pay the National-Debt, 1786

A new way to pay the National-Debt, James Gillray, 1786, British Museum.

King George III, accompanied by Queen Charlotte, smiles broadly as money pours from his breeches. He is heralded by musicians who are likewise festooned with gold guineas, and a gentleman who offers a fat sack of cash. This is juxtaposed against a quadriplegic sailor who sits with his empty round hat between wooden legs.

Unlike virtually every other sailor featured on this blog, this poor tarpaulin wears a beard. Beards were generally frowned upon in the eighteenth century, with the English in particular being opposed to any facial hair. The fact that this destitute man sports a full white beard is a testament to his helplessness.

The sailors wears a yellow and red plaid neckcloth over his double breasted blue jacket, which ends at his waist and sits over the plain pair of slops/petticoat trousers that cover his thighs. Blue breeches run down to his wooden legs.

Etched from the Life on Board a Scotch Ship: Cook, Captain, and Mait, c.1750

Etched from the Life on Board a Scotch Ship: Cook, Captain, and Mait, artist unknown (John Kay?), c.1750, National Maritime Museum.

Just as the specific profession (merchant, naval, privateer) is often unclear in depictions of sailors, so too is their ethnicity. With the rare exception, the origins of a specific sailor are difficult to pinpoint. American, Irish, Scottish, English, and other nationalities all mingled together aboard British and American vessels. This image is much more specific. The vessel itself is Scottish, and these men are presumably Scotsmen. We see little difference in their dress compared to that of other sailors.

Assuming that the title matches their roles from left to right, we'll start with the cook. He wears a tall knit cap of a type that was fairly common in the era. His jacket is single breasted with flap pockets at the waist, with his black neckcloth tucked in neatly. The cook's hair is a bit longer, extending to the shoulders. Hairnets would not be invented for some time!

The captain wears a simple cocked hat cocked over the right right. His hair is scraggly and loose, but short. A plaid neckcloth is tied to his front, and he wears a double breasted waistcoat. The jacket is double breasted with slash cuffs covered in flaps, as are his waist pockets. Slops extend down to the end of the image. In his hand is some strange object that I can't quite place. I would almost suggest them to be spectacles, which would definitely be noteworthy, but the distance between the two ovals (what would be lenses) seems too far apart and the bit extending out of his fingers has an odd curve that contradicts what we know about spectacle frames of the eighteenth century.

The mate wears a round hat with a short brim over his short curly hair. He wears a black neckcloth and a single breasted jacket with waist pockets covered by flaps.

Being one of the earlier images, we see that all of their jackets extend a bit longer than they would typically do in the 1770's and 1780's. Still, they are far shorter than was fashionable for many other professions at the time.

National Discourse, 1780

"National Discourse," artist unknown but possibly James Gillray, 1780, National Portrait Gallery.

Beside the outwardly hostile expression, our Jack also wears a round hat with an upturned short brim, decorated with a blue bow on the left side. The bow, which has made appearances in other pieces (especially those by Carington Bowles) may have been a common feature on the shore going clothes of tars in the late 1770s and into the 1780s, but we'll have to examine some more illustrations before we say anything definitive about that.

His hair notably short, even more so than most portrayals of sailors. The neckcloth hides his collar, and is of a yellow and red plaid fabric.

His short jacket appears to be without a collar (though it's difficult to tell beneath his neckcloth). We can say for certain it has no waist pockets, ends at the waist, and has slash cuffs that are buttoned. Both the cuffs and his front, which is double breasted, are held by yellow metal buttons. Gillray seems to have changed his mind about what kind of cuffs the sailor would have, as one side is cut differently than the other.

His slops are an off-white with a broad fall, held by what appears to be cloth covered buttons. They are very wide, and end below the knee. His stockings are a white or very light blue, ending at pointed toed shoes with rectangular white metal buttons.

The Allies, 1780

The Allies, John Almon, 1780, Library of Congress.

This 1780 political cartoon by John Almon is easily the most intentionally provocative of all the images I've gone through so far. King George III gnaws on a human bone, while his native allies (portrayed here in racist caricatures) dismember a white child. This is all done with the approval of a fat bishop, beneath a cross with the tattered banner of the King, and beside an inverted Bible. A dog is so disgusted with the event that it pukes.

The sailor is about the last thing I noticed in this image.

Trudging behind the clergyman, the sailor holds aloft a box of crucifixes, tomahawks, and scalping knives as 'Presents to Indians.' Obviously, this is not a typical cargo for merchant nor naval services. He declares, 'D__n my dear Eyes, but we are Hellish good Christians.'

Our sailor wears a round hat with an upturned brim. His hair is short with side curls, though a bit scraggly. Hanging loose from his neck and shoulders is a light colored plaid neckcloth, tied in a knot.

It appears that this sailor does not wear a waistcoat, and there are no buttons on his jacket. His cuffs are slash, and likewise without buttons. The jacket ends just below the sailor's waist.

The trousers appear to be belted at the waist, and end above his ankles. His shoes are pointed toed, but the buckles are too obscured to make out.

Images like this one should raise a few red flags for the researcher. The only goal of the political cartoonist is to make a recognizable character as a stand in. Just as we wouldn't take this piece as a literal representation of bishops, kings, and native peoples, we likewise shouldn't take it as a visual document that is entirely correct in its portrayal of seamen of the eighteenth century.

However, political cartoons must rely on images the public will recognize. His slop clothes must at least resemble that of a typical sailor at a cursory glance, or the audience would be entirely lost. Using this image (and others like it) in conjunction with others will contribute toward a better understanding of the average tar's garb.