A French Frigate Towing an English Man O' War into Port
Maker
Thomas Rowlandson
(British, 1756-1827)
Collections
ClassificationsDRAWINGS
Daten.d.
Mediumpen and black ink and watercolor on laid paper
Dimensions10 3/4 × 8 1/2 in. (27.3 × 21.6 cm.)
Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Gilbert Davis Collection
Label TextA favorite trope of Rowlandson’s is the mismatched couple, most often a beautiful young woman and an ugly old man, as seen here. A frigate and a man-o’-war are both naval ships, and in the late eighteenth century, nautical terms frequently served as euphemisms for prostitution, referring to the close ties between prostitutes and sailors. The young woman in this drawing is likely a prostitute towing—literally, given his peg leg and cane—this old naval officer into her port. Exaggerated physical gestures enhance the suggestiveness of the scene. The woman’s fan points toward her lower body, while the man’s hard wooden leg grazes the inside of her calf (2022).Status
Not on viewObject number59.55.1105
Terms
Thomas Rowlandson
n.d.
Object number: Sessler63
![Two Sketches: [top] A Man and Two Women with a Wheel Barrow, [bottom] A Man and a Woman with a Market Cart](/internal/media/dispatcher/23335/thumbnail)
Thomas Rowlandson
n.d.
Object number: Sessler89Bverso
