Newhaven fishwives

Category

Library Item

Item no

4120

Title

Newhaven fishwives

Description

Two Newhaven fishwives are pictured wearing striped skirts, aprons and white bonnets. They are both wearing white stockings and black leather shoes. One is standing, carrying a creel on her back and the other is sitting with a creel beside her.

Artist / maker

Hill, David Octavius

Date

1845

Size

27 x 20.7 cm

Type

Salted paper print

Location

Edinburgh and Scottish Collection

Newhaven was founded by James IV in 1504 as a royal dockyard. It became an important fishing village, famous initially for oysters and later herring. An indoor fish market was built there in 1896. Newhaven fishwives, with their distinctive striped clothes, sold their goods around Edinburgh. David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson famously photographed these fishwives and other Newhaven residents in the 1840's. The area now has a population of roughly five thousand.

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Related subjects

Agriculture and fisheries > Equipment > Creels

Clothing and dress > Garments > Aprons

Clothing and dress > Garments > Shirts

People > Adults > Women

People > Agriculture and fisheries > Fisherwomen

Places > Edinburgh areas > Newhaven

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

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