Sea Captains Carousing in Surinam, John Greenwood (1752)
John Greenwood presents a humorous scene in which intoxicated men dance, smoke, cheat at cards, spill their drink, fall asleep, and even vomit from their overindulgence. A Providence, Rhode Island, family owned Sea Captains Carousing in Surinam from the time it was painted into the 20th century. The faces of the men are thought to include portraits of well-to-do 18th-century Rhode Island citizens. Surinam (now Suriname) was a South American Dutch colony, and the American colonists are taking advantage of their time in a distant port to enjoy vices and mischief that might not be socially acceptable at home.
