The Poor Little Child of a Tar

This print depicts a young boy sitting on the steps of a house on the street. He wears outgrown and torn clothes and reaches his hand out to passersby asking for relief. A sailor is coming down the street with a walking stick and bundle, demonstrating his return from service. He stops in shock as he recognizes that the poor beggar is his son.

The print was published in December 1801 by Laurie & Whittle in London. This impression has been cut down, removing both the publication line and the accompanying ballad ‘The Child or a Tar’, which was originally printed beneath the image. The ballad was written by Thomas George Ingall with music published by Henry Thompson. Ingall’s ballad offered a sentimental and reassuring narrative, in which the struggling boy is saved from his plight by his father’s return. This print could be interpreted as engaging with the personal and economic insecurity that the families of sailors often faced, especially when their relatives were away at sea.