Poll and my Partner Joe

Published by Laurie and Whittle in 1792, this mezzotint shows a sailor returning home to a cottage. Outside the cottage, a woman and a man sit on a bench, holding hands. The woman cradles a baby, and the man has the badge of a Thames waterman on his arm. Inscribed below the image is the ballad ‘Poll and my Partner Joe’ by Charles Dibdin. The song tells the story of a Thames waterman, who has made an idyllic life for himself with his wife Poll and his friend and fellow waterman Joe. However, he is pressed into service in the Royal Navy and goes to sea, leaving Poll and Joe behind. When he returns home, he finds they have betrayed him and coupled together. The returning waterman is distraught and kicks Poll and Joe as revenge.

As they were skilled oarsmen, Thames watermen were often targeted by naval pressgangs and forced to go to sea. Here, the waterman is pressed into service and comes back to a major betrayal. This is a satirical take on the vulnerabilities of sailors’ relationships during their absences. Many variations of the story of the waterman, his wife Poll and his friend Joe exist in songs, theatre and prints.