The Gothamites in council, 1751

The Gothamites in council : humbly inscribed to the geese in disgrace sometime call'd the honest men of P-h, Frederick George Stephens, 1751, Walpole Library.

Stephens has etched a crowded political cartoon, the meaning of which is beyond me.  The presence of the Centurion, a legendary vessel commanded by the like of Anson and Keppel, accompanied by cheering tars pouring out of the "Agent for Prizes" suggests a recent victory.

Being as the boxes the tars carry are marked "Lima," we can reasonably conclude that they are carrying Spanish silver. This silver was captured years before the print was made, but was cast into Lima Coins. Such a reference would have been self-evident to an eighteenth century English viewer.

Behind the stacked Lima boxes on the left are a group of tars waving their round hats in triumph. They wear single breasted short jackets and slops that end right at the knee.

Tasked with hauling a large box of silver on their shoulders, these tarpawlins nonetheless look pleased with themselves. Like their cheering mates to the left, they wear single brasted jackets and slops, though the slops end well below the knee. Here we can see that the length is quite variable. Uniformity of cloth type and clothing was fairly common, but slops were more like aprons than proper trousers. Each was probably made by the sailors themselves, rather than a tailor. We can expect more variety out of slops than we could of jackets, breeches, and shirts.

The sailors' heargear is a bit more difficult to pin down. The fellow in the left foreground appears to be wearing a round hat with an upturned brim, but it could just as easily be interpreted as a cocked hat with narrow brim or a barge cap. The same could be said of the jack without the waistcoat in the right foreground: is that a barge cap, a knit cap, a round hat?

Strolling from the prize agent is another tar in slops. His jacket is somewhat hard to pin down: it could be double or single breasted. Certainly he wears a pair of slops and carries a stick, but his hat is similarly vague. We could say the same for the fellow standing in the doorway of the prize office.

Interestingly, behind the desk of the prize office appears to be a woman. Her posture, bared forearms, and unmistakable fichu all demonstrate this fact. Were women known to work in prize offices? I confess myself ignorant, but it is an interesting avenue to explore!

Yorick at Dover going to embark for Calais, 1775

Yorick at Dover, going to embark for Calais, S.H. Grimm, 1775, Walpole Library.

A load of passengers, some of whom are more rotund than others, board a vessel for a trip across the Channel. The passengers are a mixed lot: young and old, rich and poor. Today we're going to take a look at the sailors.

Two of them stand conversing at the rail near the foremast. Both wear slops and a single breasted short jacket. The sailor on the right wears his jacket tucked into the slops, while the other wears it without. Each has a neckcloth tucked into the jacket itself, but diverge on their headwear. The tar on the left has a cocked hat with the point worn forward, the other a knit cap or dutch cap. It could be interpreted as a round hat with very narrow brim, but it appears to curl up, so I should think it a different style.

To the Suvivors, 1786

"To the Survivors and Relations of the Unfortunate Persons who Perished in the Halsewell...," P. Mercier, S.W. Forbes, and Rawlinson, 1786, National Maritime Museum.

The crew of the Halsewell try to clamber onto the cliffs and rocks of Dorset. Some have lost their jackets and shirts, adding to the suffering of the the survivors in a stormy early January.

There is a good deal of color among their slop clothes: blue, red, and yellow jackets; white, and blue trousers. The storm appears to have carried away all of their headwear, though.

The two men pictured here are often seen in depictions of the Halsewell disaster. They are John Rogers, third mate, and James Brimer, supernumerary fifth mate. While standing on the poop deck, they were overtaken by a strong wave, and took hold of a hen coop. This they rode ashore, but were horribly bruised when the flotsam struck the rocks.

They remained in the caves with the other survivors until nearby quarry workers arrived to rescue them. Mr. Brimer fell during the attempt and, in the words of Rogers, "was unfortunately dashed to pieces, in the presence of those who could only lament the deplorable fate of an amiable and worthy man, and skilful officer."

To the Directors, c.1786

"To the Directors of the Honourable East India Company this print representing the Loss of their Ships Halsewell...," Robert Dodd, 1786, National Maritime Museum.

Washed ashore by the unforgiving waves, the crew of the Halsewell do their best to clamber onto the rocks in search of shelter. Some have lost their jackets and shirts, though at least one is clearly dressed in a jacket and shirt without waistcoat. No slops are to be seen, but there are plenty of plain white trousers. Interestingly, they appear to be tightly fastened about the ankle. This could be the result of the soaking water causing it to cling to them, but I cannot be sure.

Another interesting aspect of their dress is the sailor at the far left of the frame, who appears to wear a headwrapping of some sort. Though popular among reenactors to wear a bandanna or other head wrapping, it is far from common in images of this period. It could be that the wrap is a bandage.

Tomorrow we'll wrap up Halsewell Week!

The Loss of the Halsewell, 1786

"The Loss of the Halsewell East Indaman, Capt. Richard Pierce," 1786, National Maritime Museum.

This is the first of several exterior views of the Halsewell during her brief time above the waves and against the cliffs.

A number of the crew have taken to the boats. The survivors are colorfully dressed, with a mix of brown, blue, and red. In the detail above, a sailor is dressed in a brown sleeved waistcoat with matching breeches and gray stockings. Behind him is a tar in blue breeches and jacket or waistcoat, and they are joined by a man in blue trousers and jacket.

The sailors clinging to the rocks give us a bit more detail. White trousers are clear on the figure at the top of the rock in the center, though most wear breeches and sleeved waistcoats or one sort or another.

The Halsewell East Indiaman, 1786

The Halsewell East Indiaman, Robert Pollard, Robert Smirke, and Francis Jukes, 1786, National Maritime Museum.

Captain Robert Pierce and the women gathered with him perished in the wreck of the Halsewell. According to accounts of the disaster, they were huddled in the cabin, not exposed on deck to be swept away. The artists chose to heighten the drama of their deaths by baring them to the sea.

Clinging to the shattered mizzen is the only sailor we can clearly see. He wears a cap of some sort, though it is not clearly visible. His single breasted jacket is open just a touch at the top, revealing a white lining. Mariner's cuffs are also open, showing his white shirt. Plain slops are rolled up well above his dark breeches. White stockings and pointed toe shoes with rectangular buckles finish off his slop clothes.

Society at Sea, 1786

Society at Sea, artist unknown, 1786, National Maritime Museum.

Captain Pierce and the passengers of the Halsewell enjoy music and companionship with good humor. Though no exact date is given to this piece, it must be in the weeks before the storms would batter the ship, leading to its eventual "dissolution." Few, if any, of the figures here would survive the wreck.

Two sailors are visible on the quarterdeck, but only just. Together they haul on a line, though its exact purpose is indeterminate. The sailor furthest aft wears a round hat with a flat crown and narrow brim. His jacket is close fitting, as is that of his mate. We can just make out a plain neckcloth on the other tar.

Halsewell Week

On January 6, 1786, Halsewell wrecked.

A Representation of the dreadfull situation of the Halsewell East Indiaman
British Museum

The Halsewell was a full rigged ship, nearly 140 feet in length. At nearly ten years old, she was a veteran merchant vessel with voyages ranging across the globe. But it was not on some distant shore that she met her end. Heavy storms in the English Channel gave her a beating. Her masts were torn from the ship, and she was pushed aground. Colliding with a tall cliff on the Dorset coast, the ship was battered between sea and shore until the vessel was shattered to pieces. Over 160 of her 240 passengers and crew died.

From Seadart Divers Assoc.

The wreck of the Halsewell had enormous power in the cultural mind of late eighteenth and early nineteenth century Britain. Poems were written and portraits printed to celebrate Captain Richard Pierce, master of the Halsewell. Music was composed to carry the drama of the wreck across Britain. Most importantly for the purposes of this blog, numerous artistic pieces were drawn, painted, and printed to commemorate the loss.

Such a cluster of images, all of which depicted the same ship and the same crew, sheds some light on what the appearance of sailors in a ship's company was thought to be by various artists throughout Britain. Over the next few days, we'll be examining several prints of the Halsewell tragedy.

The Black Admiral

Here's a warning to us all.

The image above is fascinating. The gold cuffs, brass cannon, red breeches, and a whole lot of other details make this image remarkable, but the real treasure was that it featured a black sailor. There are precious few primary source images of sailors of African descent, and certainly none of them are as well dressed and significant looking as this. For that reason this portrait is roundly referred to as the "Black Admiral." Identified as an unnamed sailor during the American Revolution, this portrait appears in countless websites, textbooks, and other sources.

It's a fraud.

In 2006 the "Black Admiral" was brought to Fraunces Tavern for an exhibition, where a painting restoration expert was brought in to clean it. His suspicions were raised at the mere sight of the portrait, and he quickly confirmed that it was a white naval officer who had been painted into a black sailor sometime in the mid-20th century.

This verified forgery is still being passed off as authentic on many websites and in many books. Always be cautious when judging the source of your images!

Punch's Opera with the Humours of Little Ben the Sailor, 1756

Punch's Opera with the Humours of Little Ben the Sailor, Edwards and Darly, 1756, Walpole Library.

Every one of these Figures are very striking, and be easily known to those who hae the least Penetration in Politicks.

Indeed they would be for the average person of eighteenth century Britain! Thankfully, the owner of this piece helpfully labeled it for future generations. So we know that the title character "Little Ben" is none other than the esteemed First Lord of the Admiralty George Anson. The artists have clearly taken a set against him, as he is depicted hanging with a lot of other undesirable politicians, all of whom bear marks of the French. Punch was a famous comic character in puppet shows of the century, and so are these hanging caricatures.

In his right hand is an oversized die, in the other a cup. The pockets of his slops, dotted with fleur de lis, spill with cards. His jacket is short, ending just below the waist, and its cuffs are open.

The Butchers of Freedom, 1788

The Butchers of Freedom, H. Humphrey, 1788, Walpole Library.

Unfortunately, the catalog entry for this piece is incorrect:

An obese old lady, wearing a flowered dress, is shown seated at a card table. Her hair is piled high and topped by a cap ; a spider dangles behind her.

What we see instead is violent political repression. A cleaver wielding mob descends on their opponents, hacking them to bits. At the center right of the image, with his boot pressed into the corpse of a sailor, is George Hanger. His hat is bedecked with three feathers: the symbol of his buddy the Prince of Wales. Hanger is often depicted wearing green, the color of his uniform while serving with the Queen's Rangers in America. Though the image from the Walpole Library does not sow him in this distinctive color, another colored print in the Yale University Digital Collections does.

Luckily for us, the dead sailor is also wearing a variant outfit.

In both images the dead tar wears no hat, and his banner displaying pride in the Royal Navy is trampled by the butchers. His jacket is double breasted with cloth covered buttons and open mariner's cuffs. In the first his jacket is green, in the second it is red. A yellow striped neckcloth is displayed in both. Jack also wears a pair of trousers with broad vertical stripes: red stripes in one, blue stripes in the other.

Family Compact, 1778

Family Compact, artist unknown, 1778, Walpole Library.

Lampooning the alliance between the French and Spanish during the American Revolutionary War, the artist depicts caricatures of France and Spain bound unhappily together. They sit on the "Stool of Repentance" with sour looks, under the guard of the familiar metaphor for Britain on the world scene: Jack Tar.

He wears a reversed cocked hat trimmed with white tape and bearing a large cockade. At his neck is a striped neckcloth, tied well above the collar of his plain white shirt. Though he wears no waistcoat, this tarpawlin wears a typical short jacket without pockets, and bearing open mariner's cuffs with cloth covered buttons. His slops are plain, and end right at the knees, allowing us a peek at his breeches. White stockings fit into round toed shoes with rectangular buckles. Unsurprisingly, he holds a cudgel or walking stick.

Fill Up the Mighty Sparkling Bowl, 1752-1763

Fill up the mighty sparkling bowl, published by Carington Bowles, between 1752-1763, Yale Digital Collections.

Yale's Digital Collections states that this image is available on the excellent Lewis Walpole Library Digital Images website, but I was not able to track it down there.

This early Bowles' piece foreshadows his later and well known "Sailor's Pleasure." Just like that image, this print features a happy tar beside his bowl of punch. He fondles a filled glass and a very fine ladle. Below the image is a short poem detailing his delight:

Fill up the mighty sparkling Bowl,
That I a true and Loyal Soul -
May Drink & Sing without controul,
to Support my Pleasure.-
Thus may each Jolly Sailor live
When Fears and Dangers o'er -
For past Misfortunes never Grieve
When He's arriv'd on Shore.-
Let not future Cares perplex him,
Let him Laugh and let him Sing,
While he enjoys this Blessing,
He's as great as any King.-

He sure looks damnably pleased with himself! Our tarpaulin wears a black cocked hat without trim, point forward. On his right side is a single cloth covered button and loop. He wears his hair or wig curled, and it hangs down to the shoulder. At his collar is a fine white neckcloth.

His jacket is fairly typical at first glance, but a careful look inside the lapel reveals an unbuttoned waistcoat! There is unfortunately not enough detail on either the waistcoat or the jacket to make any assertions about whether or not they are lined. We can say that the jacket is without collar, and features rather nice mariner's cuffs. The cuff that we can see is clasped shut, save for the outermost buttons. I believe the buttons to be cloth covered, but am not confident enough to say for certain. Our sailor's shirt is a plain white garment.

Model of a flat bottomed landing craft, c.1756

Model of a flat bottomed landing craft, artist unknown, c.1756, National Army Museum.

This should look familiar. We have featured model boats just like this one in the past.

The oarsmen are relatively uniform, but not entirely so. A close look shows that while their caps and jackets are all a matching blue, and all wear their jackets with open cuffs. Likewise, they all wear matching white slops. Their stockings and waistcoat, however, are as varied as the men thesmelves. Stripes, spots, and solids abound, but all are in the three colors that are used in both the sailors' and the soldiers' clothing: blue, red, and white. Notably none of the sailors are wearing striped stockings.

At the bow, a single tar sits ready at the swivel. He wears a blue jacket with open cuffs and metal buttons. His cap matches those of the other sailors, and his waistcoat is a white one spotted with red.

Without, 1757

Without._from the London Gazette of 11 June, 1757, T. Ewart, Lewis Walpole Library.

Ewart provides us a political piece decrying the state of the Empire in the midst of the Seven Years/French and Indian War. The title "Without" accompanies each figure in the piece, detailing what it is they are lacking. Some of the figures are without virtues: the nobles who lack honor, and the senators who lack honesty. Others are lacking more essential things: the colonies who lack protection, and the seamen lack "encouragement."

Certainly this Jack looks destitute. He wears a striped cap over his short and curling hair. His plain neckcloth hangs loose around his neck, framing the highly unusual beard. Beards were remarkably uncommon in the eighteenth century. This is the only image of a sailor to have featured it thus far in the hundreds I have examined. The beard probably exists to underline his utter lack of support: he is so poor and helpless that the poor fellow cannot even shave!

His jacket is typical for the period, hanging down to about the top of the thigh, with a single row of buttons, no collar, pockets, or cuffs that we can see. Our tar's single breasted waistcoat is tucked into his slops, which are themselves fashioned with a single button closure. Just beneath the slops are the strings of his breeches. His shoes are disintegrating from his feet, and we can clearly see his toes protruding from them. In his left hand is a tall walking stick, and in his right is a round hat held out for alms.

Anländung der Englischen Trouppen zu Neu Yorck, 1777

Anländung der Englischen Trouppen zu Neu Yorck, Franz Xaver Habermann, 1777, Anne S.K. Brown Military Collection.

Habermann's print (hastily colored though it is) is an interesting look at the German soldiers of the American Revolutionary War. The long queues, distinctly shaped spontoons, and blue and yellow uniforms all betray the true identity of these supposedly "Englischen Trouppen." I'll save the analysis of the Hessian uniforms for an expert, and instead focus on the sailors carrying them ashore.

At the stern of the troopboat are three sailors. Two work a pair of oars, while the third in the middle acts as coxswain at the tiller. All of them wear round hats, jackets that end at the waist with no vents, and slops or trousers. The oarsmen's jackets are blue, while the coxswain's is red.

Two oarsmen provide the propulsion for this supply boat, which is guarded by a pair of Hessians sitting further forward. The oarsmen are in shirtsleeves, with one in a blue waistcoat, and the other in yellow. Both wear round hats. The coxwain wears a cocked hat with the point forward, a long queue, and a blue jacket or coat. It is possible that the coxswain is actually a soldier, given the queue and distinctly different hat.

The empty vessel alongside the New York shore appears to have just unloaded the jolly Germans who march off to join their formed comrades. In the bow is a tar with a blue waistcoat, rolled up sleeves, and a round hat. It appears that he wears a pair of breeches, but the detail is simply not there to be more affirmative about it. At the stern, his mate wears a red jacket with the sleeves rolled up, and a pair of breeches. Like all the other mariners, he wears a round hat.

Finally, we find a few Jacks aboard the man of war with its bristling brass guns. Two wear cocked hats with the point forward and blue jackets. A third, standing amidships, wears a plain workman's cap and a red jacket.

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!

A View of the Sea & Beach, from Mr James Newbolds Plantation, near Indian River, 1788

A View of the Sea & Beach, from Mr James Newbolds Plantation, near Indian River, James Trenchard, 1788, Winterthur Collection.

A postwar land/seascape by James Trenchard, this print is fairly unexceptional. What is interesting is the pair of sailors who relax beside a small building. The anchor and cask suggest this structure may have been a chandlery or storehouse for the boats plowing the sea.

The sailor on the left wears a round hat and single breasted jacket that ends well below the waist and well above the thigh. His slops hang loose down to his ankles. The fellow beside him is in a jacket with three vents (two of which are topped with buttons), a round hat, and a pair of breeches.