Portrait of Sam Lewis, Swansea

This portrait of Sam Lewis, Swansea, appeared in George Delamotte's Book of Costume Drawings. The fine watercolours in this volume show characters from various parts of South Wales in their everyday clothes. They give us an idea of the dress of ordinary people at the beginning of the nineteenth century, often showing signs of the poverty and hardship of their lives. Several of the characters are painted in well-known locations in some Welsh towns and villages, e.g. Swansea's market square. There are some examples of native Welsh traditions, such as that of the man carrying a coracle on his back, and of Mrs Gwyn carrying a baby in a shawl using the 'Welsh method'.