Three Women and Children Outside a Newhaven Shop

Category

Museums & Galleries Item

Item no

51527

Title

Photograph of three women and three children outside a Newhaven shop

Description

One sepia landscape photograph, of a group of three women and three children outside a Newhaven shop. Two children are being held by a woman each, either side of a doorway.

Location

Museums Collection Centre

Copyright

The City of Edinburgh Council Museums and Galleries

As photography became more accessible in the late 19th century, the residents of Newhaven became the focus of professional and amateur photographers alike. The fishwives with their distinctive outfits and the character-filled faces of the fishermen became renowned across the country as a result. Postcards were widely produced depicting an idealised vision of the traditional lives of the Newhaven community. Such photographs provide us with a valuable archive of information, both about the fishing industry and the inner workings of a village that has since changed almost beyond recognition.

Our collections contain many such postcard images, but also more naturally posed photos, like this one. Here we see a group of women doing what so many do: juggling working life with raising children. It was taken around 1899-1900, at the foot of New Lane, though the building they stand outside no longer exists. Through the window goods can be seen displayed for sale, one of many businesses in the village which would have provided for the local community. We know that the central woman’s surname was Harrison, but otherwise their identities, and those of the children, are lost.

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Related subjects

Business > Service industry > Shops

People > Adults > Women

People > Children > Children

Places > Edinburgh areas > Newhaven

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

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Three women and children outside a Newhaven shop