Man Talking To Sailors

This lively pencil drawing by an unknown artist shows the bustle of life on the docks. In the foreground of the composition, a diverse group of sailors is being addressed by a "landlubber" in ill-fitting city clothes. Although the drawing is loosely sketched, the artist carefully differentiates between the expressions of the participants and deftly sets the scene of their meeting. The style and subject suggest that the artist had experience as an illustrator for books or journals and that this drawing might have been made in preparation for a printed illustration.