Newhaven fishwife

A carte-de-visite portrait of a 'Newhaven Fishwife.'

Photographed by W.K. Munro [William King Munro] of Edinburgh.

A lengthy caption printed verso gives information on the 'Newhaven and Fisherrow Fishwives.' This reads: 'The fishwives, as they are all of one class, and educated in it from their infancy, are of a very singular character, and particularly distinguished by the laborious lives which they lead. They are the wives and daughters of fishermen, who generally marry in their own caste or tribe, as great part of their business, to which they must have been bred, is to gather bait for their husbands and bait their lines. They also carry the fishing creels to Edinburgh for sale, each with a load on her back of over 200 lbs.' [...] Their manner of life, and their business of making their markets, whet their faculties, and make them very dexterous in bargain-making. They have likewise a species of rude eloquence, an extreme facility in expressing their feelings by words or gestures, which is very imposing and enables them to carry their points even against the most wary.'

Apparently the above quote was taken from The Book of Scottish Anecdote written by the Free Church of Scotland minister Alexander Hislop (1807-1865).