About this artwork

Kidd specialised in a type of genre painting that often derived from a narrative source such as the poetry of Robert Burns, or stories by Walter Scott. However, many of his paintings have no obvious foundation, or if it had one the connection is now lost. This scene shows an encounter between a young boy with fishing equipment and two fisher-women who are picking meats from mussel shells. The young seaman is accompanied by his collie dog, and he has stopped to speak to the women as he makes his way along the shore. They may well be supplying bait as one of the women offers the opened shell to the boy. In the background tall ships are anchored, indicating that the boy may be a sailor from one of the boats.

Updated before 2020

  • artist:
    William Kidd (1796 - 1863) Scottish
  • title:
    Fisher Folk
  • date created:
    Unknown
  • materials:
    Oil on canvas
  • measurements:
    30.50 x 41.00 cm; Framed: 49.60 x 61.20 x 6.40 cm
  • object type:
  • credit line:
    Presented by Alexander Kellock Brown RSA, Glasgow, 1909
  • accession number:
    NG 982
  • gallery:
  • artwork photographed by:
    Antonia Reeve
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William Kidd

William Kidd