Edward T. Porter

A sailors' "frock" is kinda like a sweater in shape - similar to a short sailors' jacket but without the front opening, only a slit at the neck.

They make good multi-period wear because they didn't change very much throughout their history, which stretched at least from the 16th century to the near-modern day.

So if I want to make one I can use Kass´s pattern for the jacket to alter it?

As to the question of what women should do if they want to portray pirates, you have to ask yourself a big question first: Am I a role-player or am I a reenactor?

If you're a role-player, dress however you like. Your persona is your overriding guide. If you're a female pirate, you can make up what you wear just like you invent other parts of your persona. And there's nothing wrong with making things up in this context. That's what role-players do -- they make stuff up in order to play a role. And that's cool.

I raise objection, Empress!

Taken out of this gender context, there are some people who sail on/ between both ships. At least in Germany it´s like this... independent from/ going through several periods.

Seriously, there were a few questions in "TWILL" we had been discussing on various medical issues...perhaps when you come across any info pertaining to them you would be good enough to post an update?

I´ve started to write down/translate it to english a roundup from the book I´ve posted pictures from in this topic.

As I said there, the book is good enough to become an overview but has almost no references! If someone is able to come up with sources to affirm/ disprove the statements... go for it! If it´s of interest for some of you I just continue the roundup in the next days with more information and recipes.

Vitamine deficiency, drinking water problems

With increasing longer seacruises, vitamine deficiency and fresh drinking water became one of the biggest problens. On some discoverer ships there was a proper mass mortality. Often the still unknown scurvy can be caused for that.

-In 1498 the portuguesian discoverer Vasco da Gama kept an account of deaths among his 180 crewmembers. 55 died off gingivitis, teeth loss or ecchymosis.

-1585 Admiral Sir Francis Drake had about 2300 sailors on board his ships and 600 died off vitamine deficiency.

-In 1600 Sir James Lancaster sailed to East India with 1500 sailors. 900 died within a fiew weeks.

-626 out of 961 crewmembers died in 1617 on board the british liner “Gloucester”

-In 1726 an expedition from Commodore Anson and Admiral Hosier failed, cause 90 percent of the fleetcrew died.

For the first time the surgeons Dr. Line, Dr. Trotter and Dr. Blane could offer usefull therapy and preventive measures. They suggested sauerkraut and citrons as standard food for sailors. The success was amazing. In 1780 there were 15000 scurvey patients in the Haslar military hospital. In 1810 there were only 2.

The supply with fresh drinking water caused problems for a long time. Drinking water on board was carried in wooden barrels. In between a short time the water started fouling and couldn´t even been drunk if it was thinned with strong alcohol.

Rainwater was collectet to amend the water stocks. People tried to cure water by admixture from lime, magnesium and thinned salt acid. At the beginning of the 19th century the problem could been solved with the upcoming of metal tanks in which water could been carried, destilled and filtered.

Therapy for gingivitis

You have to champ dried eucalyptus leaves and spit them out.

You have to massage your gingival with arnica tincture

You have to flush your gums with tea made from sage, oakrind or okra root

Got something!

The second one is from the book "Chirurgenwerk" by Lorenz Heister.

http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0823224.html

And that´s Lorenz Heister:

A copperplate from Lorenz Heister´s book "De cataracta, glaucomate et amaurosi tractatio", Altdorf 1713, Universitätsbibliothek Erlangen-Nürnberg.

I tell this to myself again and again, Kass

When my headaches are over I can try to see if my book tells anything about something still discussed

The book is called "Die Naturheilkunde der Seefahrer - Rezepte und Heilmethoden aus aller Welt", by Hademar Bankhofer.

It´s a book about shipboard/ seagoing medicine from ancient time till now.

It´s quite good to become an overview. It contains a large amount of recipes going from barber´s rash, seasickness, warts, arthralgia etc...

Ahoy and merry Christmas!

Santa brought me a quite interresting book with some nice pictures I just wanted to share with you. Unfurtunately the book has no references...

The coat looks good.

It´s kind of courios to me that prices for wool and linen coat are the same.

If I have the choice between a coat for 295€/ 385$ and a accurate one for 220€/ 290$ ... I know what I would choose.

But it´s just the opinon of a potentional customer.

Found some more...

I feel pretty happy at the moment. Got a call today that I become a teaching position for a course on the Univesity of Bremen

Well done, Kass... and the page shows up on my Computer

Maybe a fubction would be usefull on some pictures to enlarge them for a more detailed view?

Greg: If you need links for the german Ebay or for German fabric stores... just let me know. You may save a bit on shipping

Bela

You have to mail him for a price list, Paul.

Mr. Russel: Pictures, please! (Please mail me...there is still some knitted stuff waiting to be send to Hamburg... What about the sylvester pirate party?)

These are the colours of a good friend of mine, Captain Robert Blake

How can i put the picture directly in here?

I´m not really into this theme but read something about that you can wear special kind of earrings or so for crossing the equatorline...?

Thanks, Jenny!

If your lazy and don´t want to felt something by hand, you can put it into the washing machine.

My mother tried it out with a wool cap and it works really well.

She washed it together with 4 tennis balls by 40°C for two times. If you want to use this method you must knitt the goods a bit larger because it will shrink a bit.

Does anyone of you play poker in the web?

I play quite often on pokerstars.net

Just of interest for me... maybe we can play a few hands together

Hi!

I´ve just saw this picture in a new book of mine:

Ann Mills

The only information in the book given there was here name, Ann Mills.

Can someone help me with some more information on her... maybe a bio?

It's your outfit, you can wear what you like and nobody here will tell you otherwise, but if your aim is to portray "a common anglo- american sailor/ pirate", then using pictures of Venetian gondoliers for your source is the wrong way to go.

Okay, it´s totally clear! I only wanted to clarify that my way of thinking is: "The possibility exists, evidences are missing until now, let´s see, what the future brings..."

Even if I don´t go to reenactments my claim is to wear most accurate garb.

For now, I´ll make a smock to keep me ass warm

So what´s fact?

- We have kind of Hoodies before the GAoP

- We have kind of Hoodies in GAoP in the Mediteranians/ Venice

- We have different fashions between the confessions

Why should there not have been Hoodies within this time period?

Why was an anglo-american pirate not supposed to have carried this?

( They´re on the Seven Seas, go to many different harbours/ Countries, buy/ use native products, capture ships from different countries and take/ use the garments from their oponents.)

- Of course i´ts not a proof, but it sounds quite possible -

@Kass: Nope. I try to portrait a common anglo- american sailor/ pirate... like all the other period pirates in germany

Cloth or knitted..well that´s the tough question.

To me it looks quite similar to a woolen smock/ workers shirt that´s hooded... And as is know, you can use a shirt pattern to make one.

Some thoughts from patternmakers would be helpfull, I guess... Kass?

What`s about the picture with spanish sailor cloth you have on your homepage, Greg? Wasn´t there a hooded jacket? For me it looks similar, too...

It woul be such a cool thing to have a Hoodie like those...only for the look from the others, wearing such a "modern piece of garb"

After building some chests with my mates this weekend, I´ve spended some ours to go through a huge list of paintings on the Web Gallery of Art.

But I think time wasn´t waisted, cause I´ve found some more Hoodies .

Go to "Artists" in the navigation bar, for period choose "Baroque" enter the "get list button" and I guide you to the paintings I mean.

Page 1

AVERCAMP, Hendrick: Ice Scene (ca. 1610) - The boy in the lower right corner.

Page 2

BERCHEM, Nicolaes: A Southern Harbour Scene - The guy in the lower right corner with red cap. See also the man with barrel on his shoulder!

Page 3

BRIL, Paul: The Port - The guy in the lower right corner with red cap

CANALETTO, Paintings (1730-31): Riva degli Schiavoni: Looking East - Man near the lower middle, red cap, looking at the river

CANALETTO, Paintings (1730-31): The Grand Canal and the Church of the Salute - lower middle, sitting man in boat... also shown in detailpicture

- Also posted by Black John in PB- Forum -

CANALETTO, Paintings (1730-31): Return of the Bucentoro to the Molo on Ascension Day (detail)

- Also posted by Black John in PB- Forum -

CANALETTO, Late works (1755-68): Palazzo Ducale and the Piazza di San Marco

Page 16

VRANCX, Sebastian: January (detail) - The boy on the ice, lifting his left leg

There a some more pictures I´ve found , but the details aren´t good enough to say finally they´re wearing Hoodies.

For pictures of men in knitted garments, I'm going to have to do some searching for you. I remember Foxe posting pictures at some point, but I don't remember what thread they were in, or even if they were on this forum...

That would be great, Kass... thank you!

Okay, so we got knitted sweaters...how about knitted smocks?

I´ve fond this one a few weeks ago, but just can´t remember where.

It´s dataed about 1600:

Greg: My native tounge is German.

There are several things more flying through my mind... but right now I don´t have the time to put them into sentences everyone will understand... our "handicraft-weekend" is just starting!