3-002-454 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

A Fishmonger's Shop, 1873. In this watercolour, a fishmonger offers his stock to a female customer, who appears to hesitate before choosing among the many types of fish on display. Mullet, mackerel, skate, cod, sea bass, herring, salmon, and gurnard (sea robin) can all be identified in the display. A flounder and a puffer fish hang from the shop front above. In the foreground, a child with a hoop gazes into a tub, probably filled with live carp. Given the variety of seafood on display, it is not surprising to learn that the artist was an enthusiastic fisherman. A version of this work was exhibited to great acclaim at the Old Watercolour Society in London.