King Charles II (oops!)

My last post on the Wolfe reminded me that I’d seen another picture that showed an unbuttoned fly. Bit later than 1640, painted post restoration by Isaac Fuller and showing the flight from Worcester of Charles II in 1650. Perhaps this is a comment on the construction of common clothing, or an attempt to show what was a current fashion statement. The English Antick also has an unbuttoned fly, one of the list of his ridiculous antics being “His codpiece unbuttoned and tied at the top with a bunch of riband”

Englands Wolfe With Eagles Clawes

or The cruell Impieties of Bloud-thirsty Royalists and blasphemous Anti-Parliamentarians under the Command of that inhumane Prince Rupert, Digby and the rest. I was reminded recently of this picture when I read a new blog on our period, http://eagleclawedwolfe.wordpress.com/. Looks like it may be worth watching. Published in 1647, the Wolfe bears comparison with the Seventeenth Century Chav I commented on recently. Typical late 1640s high fashion, skimpy doublet that shows his shirt ruffles in the gap between the doublet and the straight breeches. He’s also grown the fur on his head long enough in one place to make a lovelock. What a dandy!

Here’s a close up of his midriff, showing details of his shirt and cuff ruffles, the turnbacks on his doublet sleeves and, to his great shame the undone breeches flys.