Conduct unbecoming ... by Jeni Fraser
Conduct unbecoming ... by Jeni Fraser
21 Apr 2020
London Evening Post, September 3, 1767
“Wednesday a bloody bruising match was fought in the ruins of St. Giles, between two noted bruisers, the one from Newtoner’s Lane, the other from Brown’s Gardens, when the former, after a contest of 20 minutes was crown’d with victory, amidst the plaudits of a vast crowd of spectators.
The Female Bruisers by John Collett dates from 1768, and became one of his most popular prints, doubtless pinned to the walls of hundreds of taverns and alehouses for the edification of their male patrons. It is likely to have been inspired by one of the many newspaper reports of similar activities in in London at the time.
The two combatants are likely prostitutes, perhaps old rivals with a long-standing feud. This isn't the best of neighbourhoods, with a house selling Neat Wine on the right and a likely brothel on the left, with an amorous couple kissing in the upstairs window. A pair of fighting cocks in the lower left squawk at one another. A tattered playbill on the wall advertises a performance of The Rival Queens being performed at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in 1771. “Rival Queens” could also be descriptive of the two combatants in the picture.
The battling woman on the left is the more prosperous, with a sheer embroidered apron, an elegant bracelet, and a watch on a chatelaine at her waist. In the heat of battle, she has dropped her ermine-trimmed cape to the street, while a pair of barefoot, soot-covered chimney-sweeps have made a prize of her ermine muff.
At the bottom left hand corner, we can see the start of a cock-fight. The man just behind her is having his pocket picked –indicative of the type of neighbourhood she’s in. Damage has been done: her sleeve ruffles are tattered, her hat's been torn off, and her hair's been pulled.
Beside her, a butcher has left his shop in the background to dab something at her battered nose, and to encouraging pat on her back. He's protecting his striped jacket with tie-on blue sleeves and an apron tied around his waist.
The other combatant isn't as well-dressed, even before her clothes were torn. She's not wearing stays, which allows the man who's helping her back to her feet help himself to a squeeze of her breast. Another, older woman (perhaps the madam to one or both of the fighters) is charging forward; she's ready to jump into the fray but is being held back. Two sailors, happy to take in the free entertainment of a pair of 'Female Bruisers,' restrain the madam from interfering.
The sailor in the foreground wears a cocked hat bound in gold or white tape over a loose white bob wig. His blue jacket with white metal buttons is double breasted, and the mariners' cuffs are open. A closely knotted handkerchief of indeterminate pattern hangs from his neck. It rests over a single-breasted waistcoat with narrow horizontal stripes. His checked shirt is peeking out from under the jacket. Red breeches are tied at the knee. His shoes bear rectangular buckles.
His mate wears a single-breasted jacket over a plain single-breasted waistcoat, his shirt is open, and he is notably without a handkerchief – signifying a lower rank.
We know that pugilism was not totally a male domain and that women fought for money. There are records of women fighting against men, and even several women fighting one man. Female boxing was a bloody novelty act, as opposed to a serious sport. Often, in the records I found, there was no mention of which woman won, although there would be a description of what they had been wearing – or not wearing, as they sometimes fought stripped to the waist. The winner was often irrelevant, except to those with money on the outcome.
jenifraser.co.uk 'Conduct unbecoming' Copyright Jeni Fraser 2020
Collet, The Female Bruisers, c, 1768, oil on canvas (also reproduced in print), 44.8 x 56.1 cm., British Museum
About the Author
JF, JB
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