John Tradescant the Younger and Hester His Second Wife

Attributed to Emmanuel de Critz and painted around 1656 this double portrait is kind of a companion to the previous post of John the Elder and his wife, though notice the difference 20 years have made to the clothes Hester is wearing compared to John the Elder’s wife. There is more colour here and Hester’s bodice is much more boned and fitted to the wearer. The sleeves are made from quite a lot of fabric if you notice the gathers at the cuff. She also wears a double layer of linen around her neck, but the lines are softer, less severe somehow and there is an elaborate fastening across her chest. She also wears a black hood or chaperone on her head and is holding a sprig of myrtle which echoes John’s profession as a gardener but which also symbolises her fidelity. John the Younger on the other hand, apart from being bareheaded is dressed almost identically to his father in the earlier portrait, black doublet with a plain linen band. Note though how many buttons he has on his doublet front and cuffs. Yet again, thanks to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford where the picture resides for allowing me to post it here.  © 2011 University of Oxford – Ashmolean Museum

A Reply as True as Steele

to a rusty, rayling, ridiculous, lying libell; which was lately written by an impudent unfoder’d ironmonger and called by the name of  An answer to a foolish pamphlet entituled, A swarme of sectaries and schismatiques By Iohn Taylour. London 1642. This was the  picture I really wanted to show today, but I needed to post the previous image for context. This pamphlet was written in reply to another tract published by Henry Walker who had rubbished John Taylor’s satire on mechanic preachers. It shows graphically how deep the feelings went in the early 1640s. Yet again I recommend Mercurius Politicus for the background of this conflict between the two booksellers.

Not too many costume details here, but Mr Walker is dressed in a simple doublet and a wide falling band. It’s tricky to describe delicately exactly what is going on here, but let’s leave it to John Taylor:

The Divill is hard bound and did hardly straine,

To shit a Libeller a knave in graine.

It couldn’t have been that easy considering the buttons on Henry’s doublet sticking out. Maybe that’s why the Devils eyes are so wide and round!

A Swarme of Sectaries

…and schismatiques: wherein is discovered the strange preaching (or prating) of such as are by their trades coblers, tinkers, pedlers, weavers, sowgelders, and chymney-sweepers. By John Taylor. The cobler preaches, and his audience are as wise as Mosse was, when he caught his mare. Printed in London in 1642, this is an attack on the mechanic or  independent preachers without livings who had sprung up in the religious turmoil of pre-war London. Nick Poyntz’s blog on this (and other things) is recommended. Click on this link for a more detailed description of the background of this publication

There’s not a lot of detail here, but this is a representative group of independently minded folk gathered at the Nag’s Head in Coleman Street to listen to a preacher in a tub deliver the word. Was he a cobbler or a sowgelder? We will never know though we can see his clothes above the waist. He is wearing a doublet with a day cap on his head and possibly a glimpse of a blue apron around his waist that would mark him as a tradesman rather than a cleric. The rest of the congregation are suitably dressed, women in petticoat, waistcoat and kerchief, one in a coif and another in a hat. The men are in short-tabbed doublets and breeches with hats. Most are wearing cloaks too. It can’t have been all that warm at the Nag’s Head!

William Fiennes

The eighth Baron, first Vicount Saye and Sele, and father of Nathaniel, William Fiennes was one of the prime movers and shakers of the parliamentary cause, both in the political scene in London and in the pursuit of the war. Here he is painted by Adam de Colone in 1628, some years before the war but in a style that would still surely have been worn in the provinces right up to the 1640s. William is wearing a short tabbed black doublet slashed in the body and sleeves, a matching pair of breeches tied with points to the doublet, collar ruff and matching cuffs. Spot also the buckle that fastens the belt across his waist that conforms to the down pointed waistline of his doublet. The original hangs in the gallery of Broughton Castle and the image is copyright Lord Saye and Sele Broughton Castle

Matthew Babington of Rothley Temple

Painted by Daniel Mytens or one of his followers in 1645, Matthew Babington was a lawyer who was called to the bar in 1639. He must have done well during the war as he is expensively dressed in a black silk doublet slashed in the sleeves and body. The tabs of the doublet are not slashed in the same way and have the appearance of a wide cummerbund across his waist. The silk that remains between the slashes is scalloped at the edges and (as well as that of the tabs and his black breeches) is stamped to make a pattern of figures across the suit. His linen consists of a laced falling band and cuffs as well as a shirt that is decorated with lace at waist level. It has been pulled through the gap between the two central tabs, rather an odd fashion though we have seen this before. The contrast between black and white makes it quite striking in this case. His sword baldric is decorated with a silver buckle and strap end. This picture courtesy of Roy Precious Fine Art and Antiques.

Portrait of a Young Nobleman

Painted by Daniel Mytens in the late 1630s going by the style of the doublet. This is a high class lad, the clothes are fine and well fitted. He’s wearing a pale pink silk doublet and slightly mismatching buff breeches, though it could be an effect of the light. His doublet is unbuttoned at the lower end to show off the fine linen of his shirt and to draw attention to the top of his breeches. In a decade the fashion would tend to unbuttoning the top of the breeches too, but pre war it was slightly more restrained. His cuffs and falling band are well laced, though if you look closely the types of lace aren’t exactly the same pattern. The portrait was sold by Roy Precious Antiques and Fine Art.

He also has a fine pair of soft leather gloves.

Corpus Sine Capite Visibili

an aenigmaticall emblem, or, a modell of these distemper’d times being an apparent body, well proportioned, upright and streight, but yet without any visible head, in this our most unhappy mereridian [sic] of London, lately conceived in a dreame or slumber, and now delineated, penned and produced, to the open view of the world / by I.M., Student of Exon. in Oxon. Poetical tract penned in 1642 as a gentle satire on the state of the country. The author obviously has parliament leanings as he talks about the body:

The Body well composed and well bent, 
Portends a Wise Religious PARLIAMENT

and the missing head:

The DIADEM encompast with a Wreath, 
Doth show the Crowne is safe though Mars doth breath

In terms that I would expect from a moderate parliamentarian. Remember though that this was 1642, before years of war that would lead to the king actually having his head removed. This is satire, albeit rather prophetic.

The body is clothed in a finely decorated fitted doublet and breeches, falling band and cuffs with lace edging, hose and open latchet shoes. He is trampling on a typical many headed royalist monster, the heads represent a rebel, a cavalier and the Pope.

 

A Seasonable Lecture

or, A most learned oration disburthened from Henry VValker, a most judicious … iron monger : a late pamphleteere and now, too late or too soone, a double diligent preacher : as it might be delivered in Hatcham barne the thirtieth day of March last. Taken in short writing by Thorny Ailo ; and now printed in words at length and not in figures. Printed in London 1642.

Henry Walker started as an ironmonger in London and gradually moved into writing and selling books from the City. He was also known as a charismatic, though not necessarily learned preacher. Interesting to note that this lecture was taken down in shorthand and then translated into print for publication. Some of the most popular sermons were reprinted in the 1640s particularly, though it was a required skill to pay attention and remember the sermon you had attended, every much as it was for the sermon giver to deliver from memory.

In the top image from the pamphlet we see a group of respectable citizens paying close attention to Henry in his tub. Henry wears a preaching gown and falling band, whilst his flock are tidily dressed in doublet, breeches and fine linen. The ladies in petticoat, apron and kerchief. All apart from the preacher are wearing hats, though it was thought that it was best by those of an independant persuasion to uncover to hear the word delivered.  In the lower pane two gents are seen abroad in cloaks and carrying staffs. Perhaps they are pilgrims, or maybe a scene from the parable of Tobias and Gabriel he relates in the sermon.

If you want to learn more about Henry Walker, the best place to look in is Nick Poyntz’s blog Mercurius Politicus.

Edward Montague 2nd Earl of Manchester

Painted by an unknown artist sometime after 1640,Edward Montague was an active commander for the parliament army up until he resigned his commission for various reasons in April 1645. He is pictured very much as a warrior with a gilded breast plate over a braided and slashed doublet and an understated laced falling band. Picture © 2011 University of Oxford – Ashmolean Museum

Portrait of (another) Gentleman c1635

Attributed to Cornelius Johnson. The unknown gentleman with an extremely pointy beard is wearing a black slashed doublet, wide laced falling band and an embroidered sword belt. This picture also courtesy of Roy Precious Antiques and Fine Art.

 

 

This detail on this close up is almost photographic. It shows how fine the lace and linen of the falling band actually is and an indication that the slashes have been finished off with very small hems by the tailor to avoid fraying.