A Ship's Boat, Samuel Scott, mid eighteenth century, Yale Center for British Art.
Though there is no exact date to this sketch, Scott was active throughout the period of my study, and this work certainly conforms to that. What I'm really fond of with this is how the viewer is given the sense of motion through the use of darker colors and more detail at the bow, fading as you look further astern. This also serves to emphasize the common sailors over the colorless, vague figures of officers in the stern. Another great thing about this piece is the variety of colors and clothing that the men are wearing. Even though we see only a few faces, each man is given some degree of individuality.
By and large this is nothing we haven't seen before. A mix of blue, brown, and red jackets, knit caps, and a variety of cocked hats. It appears that they are all wearing breeches, rather than slops or trousers.
My favorite part: the tar wearing a colorful knit cap!
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