File:The Neglected Tar (caricature) RMG PW4019.tiff

English: The Neglected Tar (caricature)
Text in English of the ballad 'The Neglected Tar' appears below the image and the number 268 immediately above the song text. Thie illustration shows a naval seaman in tattered clothes (short jacket, striped trousers, tarpaulin hat and holding a cudgel) standing on the right at the corner of a house, watching as the well-dressed residents pass coins from the window to two street performers, one of whom stands on a large squared sheet of paper and holds out a tambourine for the money while the other plays a pipe and directs three dancing dogs dressed in capes and bonnets. The word 'Folly' is inscribed below the performers and 'Merit' below the sailor. The authorship of the ballad does not appear to be recorded and its original date is uncertain. It clearly remained known for many years and was included in 'The Universal Songster, or Museum of Mirth' (1826, vol II, p.346). Sayer -and others- published a good many songs in this illustrated format as the number 268 suggests, though the images often survive with the song text trimmed off: another naval example in the collection is Dibdin's 'Greenwich Pensioner', originally published by Sayer as no. 262 in March 1791, but of which the plate later passed to Laurie & Whittle (see PAH3324). PAD4772 also includes visual reference to the song as an item to be found in a seaman's home. [PvdM 10/14]