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User / John's Photo Philosophy / Elizabethan Gentleman complete with ruff
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By the second half of the 16th century Calvinism had largely taken hold in Elizabethan England. We know this English form of Calvinism as Puritanism. And we know what the term "puritanical" means today. We all know the trouble Shakespeare and other playwrights of his era had in getting work past the censors. Spies and plotters seemed to be at work everywhere. The theatre was especially frowned upon, and could be shut down at any time. Entertainment was considered a frivolous activity.

Well these were largely the beliefs held by George Arthur over 200 years later. In this figure an Elizabethan gentleman in a hat and ruff collar is presented out of the blue in much the same way as the figure of John Calvin appears (also on this south side of the bridge). He also looks suspiciously like George Arthur. Arthur was renowned for wearing various kinds of formal dress and a range of hats during his tenure as Lt. Governor.

If you enlarge the shot you'll see that nose appears to be a botched replacement job. Perhaps someone got to it with a hammer. Or it might have been replaced after some later flood damage. But I think we can assume that Herbert intended to present this Puritanical side of Arthur with the figure. Again, it is neatly disguised by all those floral curves and symbolic patterns.
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Dates
  • Taken: Sep 16, 2020
  • Uploaded: Sep 20, 2020
  • Updated: Feb 19, 2022