A LIVING HISTORY BLOG.

18TH CENTURY LIVING HISTORY IN AUSTRALIA.

Tuesday 25 September 2012

Woodman V Woodsman Confusion.

There seems to be some confusion in regards to what a woodman is and what a woodsman is. They are two different occupations. Occupation is the main word here, because a woodsman could also be a woodman and a woodman could also be a woodsman.
My interpretation is this: When we call someone a woodman, we are refering to a man whos main work tools are a felling axe and a fascine knife or bill hook. He is a wood cutter. A charcoal burner for instance must also be a woodman, because his trade requires him to remove wood from the forest or woodland to be used to make charcoal. Where as this person may also be a woodsman, a woodsman is not likely to choose the trade of a charcoal burner as his main job of work.
 Painting of an 18th century woodman.
A charcoal burner's camp.
Forest scene with woodman and his dog by Thomas Barker.
The Woodman.
The Woodman's return engraved by John Whessell 1760ad.


A woodsman as I see it is a person who spends a lot of his time in the forest & woods and derives part of his living if not all of it from those woods, but his main purpose is not in cutting wood to earn a living. A woodsman may have many other occupations, such as a Ranger, scout, courier, farmer, trapper, or hunter. His main tools of occupation are the Flintlock gun, the tomahawk & the hunting knife among others, or if in England he is likely to be a poacher or a gamekeeper.
Most of the paintings of woodmen are English or European, the definition in Europe or England of a woodsman would be as I said earlier, a poacher or a gamekeeper. So we are not likely to find any paintings titled "The Woodsman" and showing what we accept as a colonial woodsman.
 An untitled painting by Sedgwick.
 The woodsman By Gainsborough.
 Titled The Woodsman but no provanence.
 A modern painting of "The Woodsman" by John Buxton.


5 comments:

Rod said...

I didn't think there was a difference but now you mention it the difference makes sense. Thanks for your interesting blog... I always learn something new each time I visit.

Unknown said...

The last one looks a lot like you, Keith. I mean almost exactly like you.

I love John Buxton's work. He's so damned good. The Tin pot in his painting "The Fur Trader" was amazing in it's realism and detail.

By the way, I'm darkcolmar from youtube.

Unknown said...

I swear that last painting looks just like you. Was that a commission on your part?

Keith said...

Thanks for the feedback Rod, good to hear from you.
Regards, Keith.

Keith said...

Mike! Good to hear from you. No that is not me, but it would be a real buzz if it were.
Regards, Keith.