Ensign by Major T. S. Seccombe [Antique]

E shows us an Ensign, with colour in hand,
A spectacle noble, impressive, and grand.
He toys with his whiskers, preserved with much care,
Unconscious, of course, that the fair sex are near.
But let not fair ladies be duped by the show,
Of a brilliant outside, for they may as well know,
That in these piping times, the bold Ensign, alack!
Has small gold in his purse, though good store on his back.

Original chromolithograph published 1873.

Image size 9.5 inches x 8 inches (24cm x 20cm)