The interior of a midshipman's birth [graphic]

"Midshipmen at table in a confined space, with a low roof, lit by a candle stuck in a bottle, which casts heavy shadows. They drink grog from tea-cups with a blue interior rim. Eight midshipmen sit at the table, bare except for a jug and bottle; of these two play cards, two sleep, one plays a fife. One of the card-players smokes a cigar and holds a handful of coins. A mishipman holds a lighted cigar to the face of his sleeping neighbour. A lieutenant drinks with the midshipmen. A ninth dances tipsily, holding cup and bottle; behind him stands a sailor playing a fiddle. A tenth, wearing a fur cap, struggles sulkily into a greatcoat before going on duty. A black boy stands against the wall grinning at the dancing midshipman. A steward (left) also stands against the wall, before recessed shelves containing a dinner-service. Against the wall hang hats, a dirk, a sextant, a sextant-case, swords, a speaking-trumpet."--British Museum online catalogue