Coloring — Up to the early 19th century highly colored figures red and
blue and green predominated, with gilt, yellow or red for the lions.
From mid 19th century onwards usually plain white with perhaps colored
hair and dress hemlines only, although many colorful ones could still
be found, chiefly in Mediterranean areas. Plain white looks best for a
clipper or windjammer.
The
RUDDER. Earliest rudders up to about 1700 were entirely exposed and the
horizontal tiller swung through a large hole in the stern transom which
was a frequent cause of flooding, 34A. After this time the rudder post
was carried up into the overhanging counter through a large wedge
shaped hole and then the tiller entered the hull above this hole at a
higher level, 34B. It still flooded even though the hole was covered
loosely with a canvas or leather hood. In both these types the rudder
was a slab sided affair with a heavy rudder posthead nearly square in
section. As the fore side of the rudder post was straight from top to
bottom it meant the rudder head was behind the axis of the pintles and
had to swing in an arc when put over, which meant a large hole. To
avoid this, some time in the mid 19th century the rudder posthead was
made circular or at least square with well rounded corners and also
bent forward so that the centre line of the post was in line with the
axis of the pintles 34C. This meant the rudder posthead revolved about
its own centre in a neat close fitting hole. This is the general
principle of the modern rudder also 34D.
