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Aye the kerchief!


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So this is topic for kerchief in sailor use especially in Gaop

They are exaggerated in movies but lets take a look of history

some "evidence" so to speak:

http://jcb.lunaimagi.../what/Artifacts, industry, and human activities/Pirates/where/[Amsterdam];sort:Normalized_date,Creators,Publisher,Title;lc:JCB~1~1,JCBBOOKS~1~1,JCBMAPS~1~1,JCBMAPS~2~2&mi=1&trs=22

Black sailor in 17th century

next one is offperiod but it proves that: even that some have claimed that bandanas were impractical (which they are not. the sweat and all and if you are sailor you can make a good knot and kerchief stays firmly on the head)

162970_m.jpg

that was from 1807

Next: Avery from Johnson from 1725.

henryevery.jpg

banbana in slave use

Someone post here that Bonny and Read court thing!

Edited by Swashbuckler 1700

"I have not yet Begun To Fight!"
John Paul Jones

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On the neck scarfs were in common place during whole age of sail at least from 17th to 19th century it is just small innovation to put one on your head...

On the neck scarfs were in common pacle like here

The+dress+of+the+British+Sailor4.jpg

Bonny

annebonny.jpg

1680s. pirate

Buccaneers+1682.jpg

Edited by Swashbuckler 1700

"I have not yet Begun To Fight!"
John Paul Jones

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There is good page here http://www.piratebrethren.com/articles/hats/hats01.html they aren't pirates but period people who use head scarfs. Note that it seems that they use it for keeping the hat on the head (and that is also what sailor would do if hat would be little too large)....

"I have not yet Begun To Fight!"
John Paul Jones

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Foxe

"With this Fore-Staff he fansies he does Wonders, when, God knows, it amounts to no more but only to solve that simple Question, Where are we? Which every chi'd in London can tell you." - Ned Ward The Wooden World Dissected, 1707


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They do make a bullet hard tarred hat a tad more comfy to wear and, mebbe not period but, they protect against the chemical burns you get if the tar's not cured proper.

I got bitumen on me whilst painting water tanks many years back and it tanned, dried and shrunk my skin on my face and hands very rapidly so it split red raw when I moved.

Lambourne! Lambourne! Stop that man pissin' on the hedge, it's imported.

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Hmm. Playing around with the image to make the scene of interest lighter and larger, it almost looks to me like the lad is describing a point under the kerchief and telling a story about it, to which Ivan and the burly chap are listening while Stynky goes about his work and Mission sleeps. Based on this (admittedly purely conjectural) interpretation, I'd say it's a bandage and the kid is telling the story of how he was so wounded.

Of course, when we consider that Stynky is shown working instead of listening or stealing people's hats, we must also recognize that this explanation may be completely wrong.

kerchief_image.jpg

Mycroft: "My brother has the brain of a scientist or a philosopher, yet he elects to be a detective. What might we deduce about his heart?"

John: "I don't know."

Mycroft: "Neither do I. But initially he wanted to be a pirate."

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  • 8 months later...

An interesting note that MR David Rickman made in the book "Pirate: the Golden Age" (Osprey 2011) He noted that often when we see sailor of the age of sail wearing headscarves they are tied on forehead rather than the back (thought some pictures like the first one I have posted here show it tied on the back) He offered this example: Nelson's men celebrating the victory of the Nile in this 1798 cartoon. (see the man on the right with spotted kerchief)

Nelson_nile_vanguard_cartoon.jpg

And everything can happen I agree with that author this case: I agree about that the headscarves, when used by sailors, were more like a temporary sweat band rather than casual wear. They were also clearly less common than round hats and knitted( or other) caps.

"I have not yet Begun To Fight!"
John Paul Jones

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