Death of Captain James Cook, 1783

Death of Captain James Cook, George Carter, 1783, Wikimedia Commons.

Death of Captain James Cook, George Carter, 1783, National Library of Australia.

Captain James Cook is arguably the most prominent naval figure of the late eighteenth century. His explorations dramatically expanded Britain's understanding of the world and enabled its dramatic imperial expansion. It is therefore easy to see why his unfortunate end was the subject of numerous artistic depictions in the years following his death. Thanks again to the 18th Century Material Culture Resource Center for pointing me in this direction.

So far as I can tell, there are two separate original pieces done by George Carter in 1783. This was the year the American Revolutionary War ended in favor of the former colonists, and Britain was reeling from the national humiliation. Some of that feeling of despair and helplessness comes through in the worried and distressed expressions of nearly all concerned in these paintings.

At the center of the boat and stepping in is a tar with a black cap, though I can't be certain if it is felt or knit. About his neck is an orange and red neckcloth which hangs over his white jacket. His trousers are of an interesting pattern of blue stripes running vertically along white. What makes them interesting is that the stripes are not of a universal width. In the Wikimedia copy, he wears dark blue stockings, while the NLA copy shows him bare legged.

Near the stern (to the far right beside the naval officer the detail) and clenching his fists is a sailor in a white shirt with narrow blue vertical stripes and natural color trousers that are perhaps canvas. His neckcloth is purple with white dots, and atop his head is a dark cap lined with fur.

Behind him and slightly to the right is a fellow with short hair and a green jacket without a waistcoat. Pushing off with an oar, his mate wears a shirt without neckcloth, waistcoat, or jacket. Cowering in the background is a fellow who is depicted with a white shirt and blue jacket, or a blue shirt. Further forward and reaching out to help a fellow clinging to the bow is a man in a black cap and a brown or blue jacket. Interestingly, the hat style changes from a shovel hat to a round hat between the different paintings. At last, a man reaches over the gunwales to help another sailor. He sports a bald spot and curly hair over a white shirt and orange or purple neckcloth.

One of the more interesting differences between these paintings is the changing of the shooting men from marines to naval officers. the cut of their uniforms is identical, but the color and therefore their role changes. In the details I have just examined, there is a firing line (far less ragged than this) of marines in red coats, so it should not be assumed that these are marines in variant uniforms. This change raises the question as to the artist's original intent for these men, and his decision to change them.

In any case, there's another sailor holding his boat with an oar in the water. In one version, he sports a blue jacket with striped shirt, purple neckcloth, and plain trousers. In the next, he wears a red jacket over a plain shirt with a black neckcloth and plain trousers.

A wealth of details abound in each of these paintings, and I'm sure I've missed a few. Let me know what you spot in the comments below!

A view of the Endeavour's watering place in the Bay of Good Success, 1769

"A view of the Endeavour's watering place in the Bay of Good Success, Tierra del Furgo, with natives. January 1769," Alexander Buchan, 1769, British Library via Wikimedia Commons.

Thanks to Gregory Scott, Steve Rayner, and Adam Hodges-LeClaire for digging up this wonderful piece.

Again I return to Captain Cook's voyages. and we find him at the very bottom of the New World. Good Success Bay, here styled as "the Bay of Good Success," was a place of respite for the crew. They had weathered a storm the night before, and lost a kedge anchor in the process. The Endeavour's log for that day, January 20, 1769, reads "at 2 a.m. sent the People on shore to Wood and Water and cut Brooms, all of which we Completed this day." In this watercolor, we see "the People' at work, but also enjoying themselves. A few sailors converse with the local native people, while marines meander about.

This wonderful detail shows some of the men about a campfire cooking a meal, while others use buckets to fill water casks from the nearby stream. A marine (strangely dressed in red small clothes and a red coat with no apparent facings) stands nearby with his musket.

The sailors are all dressed in a fairly similar fashion: black round hats with upturned short brims, short jackets ending below the waist, and plain trousers ending above the ankle. The jackets are variously white, blue, and green.

This detail show much the same slop clothes as the last, with the same style of hats, jackets, and trousers. There are two new details worth mentioning.

This dapper looking sailor has a hand that appears to be in the pocket. I hesitate to say this is positive, as the details on this resolution are not strong enough and I have yet to see a sailor's trousers with pockets placed so similar to modern jeans. Generally, the pockets of a sailor's trousers are in a straight line down the side of the leg.  He is also the only sailor who gives us a clear view of the white lining of his jacket as well as the loose upper corner lapels. He also wears a red waistcoat tucked into his trousers.

These sailors are largely unremarkable, except that the tar behind the two seated native people is holding a walking stick. Even on such a distant foreign station, sailors are joined by that symbol of their profession.

A Scene on board His Majesty's Ship Deal Castle, 1775

A scene on board His Majesty's ship 'Deal Castle', Captain J. Cumming, in a voyage from the West Indies in the year 1775, Thomas Hearne, 1804, National Maritime Museum.

Before I go into my usual examination of this piece, it is necessary to address my methods for deciding which pieces I include. There were many reasons that I started this project, but one of them was to address the common use of French Revolutionary or Napoleonic images in illustrating the earlier decades of the eighteenth century. With the plethora of primary source images of common sailors and officers that can be used for education and interpretation, it was my hope that collecting and sourcing these in one place would make it easier for everyone to tap into the past.

To that end, I have only used images that were made from 1740 to 1790, and depict events that happened in those years. Necessarily, this must exclude many images made immediately after the years of my examination, but about events in the half century of this blog.

I'm making something of an exception for this piece. It is a wonderful representation of the day to day life on deck, and does not appear to have been too affected by the passage of time. According to the curators at the National Maritime Museum Hearne was probably basing this image off of studies made at the time. These studies do not appear to have survived. This places today's illustration in the strange position of being drawn by the original artist, based on his original illustrations, but not actually completed until forty years after the event.

Thomas Hearne created this illustration from his memory of a return voyage to England after a stint as a topographer in the Caribbean. The Deal Castle was a 20 gun ship that could provide a relatively quick transatlantic trek for the artist.

Two officers standing along the larboard rail (not visible in the above detail) which is also the likely direction of the wind, judging by the position of the sails. This would suggest that one of the officers is the Captain, who traditionally stands on the windward side of the quarterdeck. Off to starboard, a gaggle of officers in cocked hats peer through octants, and may well be the midshipmen of the Deal Castle. Coming up out of the quarterdeck gangway is a marine.

Standing on the rail over the gundeck, a tar adjusts a block. He wears a black cap of indeterminate style, a light colored jacket that ends at the waist, and a pair of white trousers.

There are two things that instantly catch my attention with this figure. First, it appears that he is wearing something at the waist, which might be a rigging belt. This is an item that must certainly have been used, but I have never seen it depicted in a primary source. Second, he is barefoot. A common assumption among historians and reenactors is that sailors went barefoot while aboard. This makes a lot of sense (just try walking a holystoned wooden deck with smooth leather soles), but this is the only image I'm aware of that actually shows it.

There are a few other figures working further forward, but too indistinct to draw any conclusions.

Beside the helm is a stack of coops for fowl, and a friendly goat. The helmsman stands in shirtsleeves with a black neckcloth. His black round hat with a wobbly brim sits atop his head, and is tilted slight back.

Dancing Sailor Figurine, c.1753

Dancing sailor figurine, Chelsea Manufactory, c.1753, Museum of Fine Art.

Within the eighteenth century British Empire, porcelain figurines like this were collectible items that (though kitschy by today's standards) were common and sought after. Several of these depict sailors, as we've seen before on several occasions.

This figure wears a black brimmed hat with white tape around the crown. His jacket is without any ornamentation (or even buttons) and ends at the waist. Beneath he wears a white shirt with some odd black symbols on it. I can't quite figure out what they are, but there is a thin black cravat under his collar. He wears orange breeches, white stockings, and black shoes that are tied with blue ribbon.