Sea Babies 4, 5 and 6 swimming with sea turtle by Robert Kline

Sea babies 4, 5 and 6 swimming with sea turtle

Art and story by Robert Kline

Fair wind. Beclamed. Fair wind. Beclamed. Thus did the good ship HMS Baci stutter toward the Galapagos Islands. Twice in the proximity of the American whaling vessel, Pequod, they saw their once pristine ocean a river of whale blood and viscera. It was after one such encounter that Sir Edmund Roberts, gentleman naturalist and Sea Maiden questor sost solace in the deep.
Over the side and submerged in Halley’s patented diving apparatus, in the company of Gnarly Dan, the ever verbal old salt and the beautiful Captain Constance Daphne Fitzwillie, Sir Edmund watched in silence as a massive sea turtle appeared out of the distant darkness.

“Chelonia mydas,” he noted quietly, stirring Gnarly Dan from his reverie (no doubt involving at least one of his three wives for he alternately smiled and frowned). The old salt squinted and remarked, “I’d call ‘em Sea babies an’ a whopping’ big turtle an’ skip the mumbo jumbo me self, though talkin’ in tongues does seem at please yer honor.”

Captain Constance Daphne smiled at “tongues” and leaned to the window. In the wake of the sea turtle three Sea Babies did indeed appear from the gloom, they languidly following. “Making sport with other sea fauna,” Sir Edmund observed and was immediately corrected by the old salt. “Ya does recall, yer honor, that not three cables back we passed a pacel ‘a whale blood ‘n guts?”
“I could not have missed it, had I tried,” the naturalist answered, curious in spite of himself.

“An ya recollects yer Sea Babies an’ they mums keep track by mum’s sweet air bubbles; the young ‘uns playin’ in ‘em and never strayin’ far?” Gnarly Dan waited and then concluded, well that lake ‘a whale scud has thrown ‘em off. Why them Sea Babies as struck as a blind man inna gale. They’s lost, sure enough, an’ ole Mrs. Turtle’s leadin’ ‘em back.” Clearly, Sir Edmund was impressed. “Sea turtles do that? Consistently?” Gnarly Dan slowly rubbed his gray stubble, nipped a fleck of liquid from the side of his mouth and confided, “Course they does. It’s natural like. All yer sea creatures takes care a one another, lest they’s eatin’. That sea turtle’ll get ‘em back as sure as the mornin’ breeze. They’ll be a sorta homecomin’ an’ she’ll get a hug or two from the sea mums an’ then off she’ll go as sure as kiss my hand.”
“Might could be a little sad, what with the whale bein’ defeated. Be a pity if she has young ‘uns.” The old salt ruminated and then added, “Kno’d a sea cow at adopt a whale baby or two. It happens.” Slowly the foursome glided past the bell into the gloom. Gnarly Dan cleared his throat and concluded, “Bad enough how we’s mucked things up on shore. Don’t seem right we brings our short comin’s under the sea.

Sir Edmund’s journal reads:
Sighted three Sea Babies in the company of a green sea turtle. East of the Galapagos Islands – November 14, 1833

Sea Babies 2 and 3 by Robert Kline

Sea Babies 2 and 3

Art and story by Robert Kline

This illustration is available for purchase in the following matted sizes: 5″ x 7″, 8″ x 10″, 11″ x 14″ and an 11″ x 17″ that comes unmatted on a piece of 1/4″ foam board.

Purchase art here

May brought further reversals of fortune for Sir Edmund Roberts’ extended voyage of circumnavigation and discovery. Captain Constance Daphne returned tart and penniless, her hopes to access her new fortune (the feared pirate Naughty Nat’s old fortune) dashed as no agent of her banking house could be found in either Valdive or the Port of Valparaiso, and so she moped about muttering “Hounds of hell, man and institution both; nowhere to be found when needed and underfoot when not! Bugger the lot!”

It was later, as she stood on the shore with Sir Edmund that an all too familiar ship appeared on the horizon, every sail bent on, a bone in her teeth, her dark brow smashing great bursts of white water along her sides. Captain Constance Daphne snatched Sir Edmund’s glass and brought the charging vessel into focus. “Does fortune play the hussy with me now,” she whispered, the color falling from her face. “It’s my Baci!” “Indeed,” Added Sir Edmund calmly, “I knew they would return.” And they had. The great ship anchored and expectorated a timid delegation to seek out their captain and plead their case with a volley of conflicting versions of why they had sailed off in the first place; pursuit of pirates, a severely localized hurricane, dengue fever, and most amusing: seduction and abductions, ship and all, by a raft load of giant women from the Amazon basin. Constance Daphne’s anger faded with each tale until at last she said, “Enough, back to the ship and make ready to sail,” all the while silently remarking that Pretty Willy’s knotted scarf looked for all the world like an intimate garment from her cabin.

The next day during the last descent of Halley’s patented diving apparatus (before it was ferried to the HMS Baci and stowed), Sir Edmund spied a brace of Sea Babies cavorting in a galaxy of slowly rising bubbles. Gnarly Dan jostled the naturalist away from the glass port to get a better view, prompting Sir Edmund to object, ” Calm yourself man; they are only infants.” to which the old salt responded with venom and disbelief. “Any man who doesn’t love a baby has forgot too much, learned too little or ships a heart cold as a broke cannon.”

Unmoved, Sir Edmund looked to the bell’s open bottom to ascertain the source of the bubbles, but was unsuccessful. The evening Gnarly Dan allowed it was no doubt a “klatch of sea mums sendin’ ‘em up to the little ‘uns to keep ‘em close-like. Each bubble,” he explained patiently, “has a mum’s scent, air so sweet and full a’ love that yer Sea Baby takes to it like a treat.”
He let Sir Edmund ponder that for awhile, drained a pint of warm beer and concluded, “and when yer Sea Maiden gets old and comes near to scratching her name in the log, she’ll journey to a special sea cave and leave her dyin’ breath in some dark notch in the roof, a quite bubble that her Sea Babies will return to when they’s grow’d and sad, maybe, or just missin’ their mum. They’ll breathe in just a bit, to feel her love and smell her scent again, always leavin’ enough to last their own lifetime and they’re never wrong; they’s always some of mum’s love left ‘til the time comes when they leaves bubbles of their own. Ya see, cap, Sea Maidens value love like we does life.”

Sir Edmund’s journal reads:
Two Sea Babies observed off of Quinlan. Scales higher on torso than adults. Postulate they recede with onset of puberty revealing fair skin.
Infans Verde
Lively, playful, long hair.
Infans Azure
Very young, playful, no hair.
May 5, 1833
Gulf of Guytecas, island of Quinlan

Sea Baby 1 with porpoise by Robert Kline

Sea Baby 1 swimming with porpoise

Art and story by Robert Kline

This illustration is available for purchase in the following matted sizes: 5″ x 7″, 8″ x 10″, 11″ x 14″ and an 11″ x 17″ that comes unmatted on a piece of 1/4″ foam board.

Purchase art here

The day following Edmund C. Roberts’ sighting of a pregnant Sea Maiden was also productive. In the morning the young explorer left the company of his hangers-on and made a solo descent in his diving apparatus. He immediately sighted his first sea baby, it apparently enjoying the company of a rather docile dolphin. Roberts’ notebook is brief regarding this encounter, but the diaries of others aboard the Baci Finale allow for our fleshing out of his reaction: That evening Roberts retired to his salon. He was later joined by the triplets, Sara, Sue and Marie just as he finished his preliminary sketch. All three girls tiptoed up behind the young man and peered over his shoulders. Sara drew in her breath. “A sea baby an’ a dolphin! Never thought a’ that.”
“Too bad for you,” Sue taunted as Sarah turned to her. Marie remained silent and watched them both, all the while intrigued by Roberts’ drawing. “What’s that baby about?” Sarah asked. (It is a bit dodgy classifying Roberts’ commentary as fact or fiction or fairy tale.) “One would believe a bright little thing such as yourself would know immediately what ‘that baby’s about’—why, she’s— (here Roberts pauses and looks away from the girls. He adjusts his ascot, smooths the front of his smoking jacket and then continues in earnest) “having a talk with mister Dolphin. They’re all one down there, don’t you see? Fishes. Sea Maidens. The whole lot. They’re all one. So when the little ragged muffin finds itself alone—missing mummy, as it were, why quick as a snap the poor dear just turns to whomever is in the neighborhood and strikes up a conversation—”

“Asks a bloody dolphin where mums’ gone—stoker trash if there ever was,” Sarah rejoined.

“Well, young lady, your knowledge of the universe now challenges that of Lucretius, you remain you remain dreadfully short in the undersea category. The particular Sea Baby I encountered and have hence skillfully drawn, did indeed raise Mr. Dolphin’s nose, kissed him ever so softly and having observed that nicety, went on to inquire as to the whereabouts of its maternal connection—the Sea Baby’s mum—and was politely answered in kind by Mr. Dolphin. Our Sea Baby then left Mr. Dolphin and swam directly to her. I witnessed it all as I have described to you. You may believe me or return to your room with the cold delusion that I fabricated such an explanation solely for your entertainment. In any event; off to bed, all three of you.” Which leaves us with their enigma.

Edmund C. Roberts notebook reads:
Spied a Sea Baby in company of a dolphin. Communication. Sea Baby retired. Dolphin has been noted frolicking in the ships bow wave.
Sea Baby 1

Sea Maiden 22 Ursala and Sea Baby by Robert Kline

Here you will find the most extensive selection of Sea Babies (mermaid babies), pregnant mermaids and mermaid mothers created by renowned artist and author Robert Kline. The Sea Baby art prints are lithograph reproductions of original pencil and watercolor paintings. All of the prints come on a 1/4″ foam backing and the 5″ x 7″, 8″ x 10″, 11″ x 14″ are matted so all you need is a frame and they are ready to hang on your wall! They have been hand labeled and hand signed by Robert in pencil. Each of the prints also comes with an excerpt from Robert’s novel The Forgotten Voyage of H.M.S Baci in which Sir Edmund Roberts, gentlemen naturalist and Sea Maiden questor describes his various Sea Baby, Sea Maiden and Sea Master sightings. Thus, you will receive the story from the novel describing the event in which the particular mermaid in the print was sighted.

Click here to enter the Sea Baby art store