One of Hill and Adamson?s calotypes of Newhaven and its
inhabitants, this powerful portrait shows three self-confident
fishermen in a relaxed pose in front of one of the boats. The
way in which they form a solid, mutually supportive group gives
a sense of the close-knit social structure of this independent
fishing community. Dressed in individual-looking hats, their
clothes are shaped and battered by their work at sea, which was
highly-skilled and dangerous but profitable. The Newhaven men
worked from open boats, close to the shore as well as further
out on open sea. Every year during the herring season, they
moved 200 miles north to Wick for six to eight weeks, often
rowing the entire distance.