The Usual Occupations of the Young Officers

[anteros_lmc]

More mids! This scene was painted by Augustus Earle sometime between 1820 and 1837. The painting is called "Life in the Ocean Representing the Usual Occupations of the Young Officers in the Steerage of a British Frigate at Sea" and is one of a pair, the second being "Divine Service as it is Usually Performed on Board a British Frigate at Sea". Earle travelled to Australia aboard HMS Hyperion in 1820, and was later the official artist on the Beagle at the time of Darwin's famous voyage. The young gentleman painting in the centre of the picture may be Earle himself.

I love this picture, there's a real warmth to it. It's possibly one of my favourites of all these scenes. (It's really worth clicking through to see the high res image.) I particularly love the fellow shaving of the far left and, of course, the monkey. Surely every larboard berth needed a monkey?! And look, there's Jack Aubrey's mid with the flute who can only play two tunes badly!

The text from the NMM catalogue record is below the cut and the full record is here.

The setting below deck shows the off-duty activities of young midshipmen and other men in their mess cramped between decks. The layered effect of the decking is accentuated by the companionways to the deck above and below, by feet on the steps far left, a soldier's head looking up through a hatch and a vertical anchor chain running through the decks. On the far left a man shaving stares into a propped-up mirror. In the foreground a writing slope rests on the deck, together with a discarded jacket and sextant, while behind a group of figures look on. A man in the foreground lies on the deck working on mathematical calculations with a slate, book and rule. Behind him a colleague sketches. Wearing a jacket, and with his back to the viewer, he is overlooked as he draws with paints. A paint box rests on the table with water and mixing pots. This may be a self-portrait of Earle since the open portfolio resting on the floor indicates the type of topographical sketches which he made on his overseas journeys, thus signifying the painting was completed after the artist's return to England. Two of the figures look at a sketch of a portrait by the artist. Another man in the group plays the flute. The buckets hanging up to the right have the king's monogram 'GR', presumably referring to George IV who reigned from 1820-30. Behind, sailors pore over calculations or sketch, and other seamen are depicted in a room beyond. In the far right a group of older marines drink; one has his head in his hand leaning over a bucket. In the centre to the right a cabin boy in a red smock grinds coffee and further right a boy sits on the floor holding a monkey on a lead. He has discarded his fiddle as he chats to a companion. Behind them a sailor and marine sergeant survey the scene. A sextant and telescope hang from a beam. The uniforms belong to sailors and marines but are worn in a variety of ways. The closely observed painting perceives leisure time and its potential for disruption, implied by the overall surveillance of the marine officer in the back of the painting to the left. The picture sits at the interface between control and disorder implied by the monkey, the parrot who could unpredictably fly off its perch, and the men drinking. Exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1837 it forms a companion piece to BHC1119. The artist used his numerous watercolour sketches made on board HMS 'Hyperion', during a voyage to Australia in 1820, and his later journey, as official artist in the ‘Beagle', with Darwin. Some of the figures may be portraits observed on those voyages.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Oh, look at this-- all the little details, it is like a Brueghel. I especially like the confused looking man popping his head up the ladderwell. He needs to be careful he does not get stepped on!

And look at how studious they are, no carousing for them, they are all hitting the books! (Seems suspicious somehow.)

One thing I notice is how, even though the artist made the space big so you can see, there is nothing to sit on. The guy ont he left with the mirror has a sea-chest just like mine. (Mine is from about 1790, I think,) same exact color and all. And i like the guy sitting on the barrel. Like any of us sitting on a sturdy cardboard box.

That is a serious chain, too. No kidding around making it cute. They were living in a machine.

I wonder who the sailor on the right is looking for, and weather the mid wants to be found?

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

There is something rather Breughelish about this isn't there? And I think you are right that the lack of carousing is rather suspicious, especially in comparison to Huphrey's scene. They seem to have stashed their grog and are on their best behaviour.

I like the way they are all sitting on chests and casks or just sprawled on the deck. I can just imagine Archie sitting tucked up in a corner reading.

They were living in a machine.
yes, I've never really thought about it like that but you're absolutely right.

[eglantine-br.livejournal.com]

That was me, btw. I was having a terrible time posting this morning. My post kept getting eaten, and I don't know why. But I have got some tea in the engine now, my hands and brain have woken up.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

I guessed it was you :) And i suspect it was LJ that had not woken up properly this morning, not you!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_likimeya/]

It looks deceptively spacious and bright, doesn't it? Poor parrot and monkey, this is quite a bit different from their natural habitat!

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Yes, I suspect the reality was infinitely darker, damper and dingier! I wonder if the monkey was allowed to skylark in the rigging?

[eglantine-br.livejournal.com]

Basil Hall had a had a lot to say about shipbaord monkeys. He said that they were an ideal pet for those at sea.

(Of course he thought an 800 pig on the Q-deck was ok too.)

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Yes, there seems to be an affinity between monkeys and ships!

My mother was a travelling teachers working in little rural schools on the island for a lot of her career and I remember her telling me how she was once greeted at the door of a tiny one room school by a little boy gabbling away to her in gaelic. She was very surprised as he was so shy she had never heard him speak before but she couldn't understand what he was saying. His teacher later explained that the boy was telling her that his father had just come home from sea and had brought a monkey with him. The monkey had escaped form the house and had run up a telegraph pole in the village and they had spent all night trying to get him down again!

[nodbear.livejournal.com]

oh you will start plot monkeys won't you !!

because we all know who has some baboons he needs a home for in a hurry...

marvellous picture by the way -I can see so much going on there of our boys

we know from the court martial that some of poor BAdcock's more peaceful moments were " at music on his flute"

and we know that someone on the Indy drew cariactures of his fellow mids ( just what WAS the backstory of Nicky and the chicken????)

and Mr MCkerlie was a fine map maker and artist ..which is why he nwo sells for 5 figures for a page

*Sigh* wish we could see the Indy's lower decks through a mirror made in 1797
but we almost can :)

and of course I am now writing a baboon plot bunny when I am supposed to be writing a chapter about middies ...

thanks for this wonderful pic

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Oops sorry about the plot monkey! :}

Sigh* wish we could see the Indy's lower decks through a mirror made in 1797
but we almost can :)
I know! That's one of the reasons I love these pictures. You can really start to identify all the different characters we know so well :)

[nodbear.livejournal.com]

yay wonderful story =
time for Monkeyfic I think !

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Amazingly familiar story isn't it?! :)