3-016-918 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

"The Time and Place", by J. Pettie, in the Exhibition of the British Institution, 1864. Engraving of a painting. '...the costume is that of the dissolute times of Charles II. The black satin doublet and breeches, the black silk stockings and black felt Montero hat seem to indicate...that he is in "mourning" - possibly it may be "complimentary mourning'' - for some former victim. That he is a roué and professed duellist appears to be beyond a doubt. The disordered dress, the dishevelled hair, the bloodshot eyes, the reckless, nonchalant, dare-devil air, the business-like preparation - for you see he has thrown aside mantle and sword-belt and unsheathed his long rapier: and, although one hand is carelessly thrust in his pocket, he stands ready to take up his guard at a moment's notice; all this, we say, together with his eagerness for the deadly encounter, implied by his being at the "place" before his adversary, if not before the "time" appointed, proclaims this to be some gay bully, who might be a fitting companion for Rochester, or, at a little later period, a leader of Mohawks. It seems to indicate, moreover, that the cause of the meeting was some quarrel about women, or over dice or cards, in the debauch of the preceding night'. From "Illustrated London News", 1864.