Newhaven Fishwives 1843 - 1847

This calotype was created by David Hill and Robert Adamson in Scotland between 1843 and 1848. Hill, a painter, collaborated with Adamson, a photographer, during the early years of photography. The image depicts three women in Newhaven, a fishing village near Edinburgh. The women, identified as fishwives, are wearing traditional striped skirts and white caps. It’s likely they are posing, given photography at this time was a slow process. In terms of the politics of imagery, this image presents working-class women with dignity and respect. The documentary style was embraced in early photography as people began to realise the importance of capturing images of different social classes. To better understand the image, one might research the social history of Newhaven and the lives of women who worked in the fishing industry, alongside looking into the rise of photography as a tool for social documentation. With that historical context, we can better understand how art reflects and engages with the social world.