Repro ID: PY3306
Title: The Greenwich Pensioner.
Description: A pensioner with one leg sits by the statue of George II in the Grand Square of the Hospital. Pensioners were admitted to Greenwich Hospital from 1705. A young woman with a baby sits next to him and a boy, probably from the Greenwich Hospital School, from his uniform and distinctive hat, leans on him and listens as the old sailor tells the story of the blowing up of the 'L'Orient' at the Battle of the Nile in 1798. The pensioner is holding a picture of this event. The picture tells the viewer that Britain's naval heritage will be passed on to the next generation. The man on the right is an ex-soldier peddlar, carrying other similar pictures for sale to Greenwich visitors.
Creator: Edward Matthew Ward [artist]; T Holles [engraver]; J Hogarth [publisher]; Queen [printer]
Date: 1845
Credit line: National Maritime Museum, London
