Wilson vividly described Castlebay as a ‘land-locked harbour…at which steamers regularly call. When herring shoals are off the coast, the whole place resounds with stir, the air is laden with the odour of decaying fish, and the village…is thronged with the fishermen of the fleet.’ By contrast, Wilson chose a quieter scene for this photograph. With the fleet moored beyond the picture’s left edge, he caught the blurred motion of a small boat collecting creels along the shore.