"Art of Jan Sanders"

Jan Sanders was a Dutch cartoonist and illustrator, best known for his amusing cartoons depicting sailors. He drew and painted in a highly detailed, satirical style, showing sea captains, sailors and the rest of the shipping crew in funny situations. His work has been published in English, French and Spanish. Though he made many more cartoons, I picked these as I could relate to each in the everyday life at sea we were all so accustomed to…

Everyone knows the old adage Grandma used to say, “Tattoos are for sailors and whores!”  This cartoon put the two together…

We all knew what it was like walking the streets in foreign ports late at night looking for our next beer and a hooker, I mean hook-up… Shore Patrol was not our friend!!!

Though it denotes Amsterdam, this one resembled the Shellback initiation to a “T”…

Hitting the beach after a long stint underway could be a memorable event! This one captures the frills & thrills of a sailor in every port!!!

There’s that old adage, “When the cat’s away the mice will play!”  Many a Westpac Widow were sniffed out by the alley cats awaiting our departure…

Before there were women on ships, having a female nurse onboard brought on a lot of attention… there was usually a line anywhere there was a scent of perfume!!!

Bordellos, Brothels, Cabarets & Titty Bars were ultimate favorites for sailors away from home! This one catches a glimpse of such a scene!!!

While away import I once had a Skipper that said, “What’s done away from Homeport stays away from Homeport!” This of course was after he’d been spotted carousing at a brothel in the Red Light District!!!