Mackerel Seller at Billingsgate, Cries of London, 1804

This is an original hand colored copper engraving, one of the Cries of London plates, lettered "MACKEREL." beneath the image. It shows a fishwoman at Billingsgate holding out a wide oval basket of mackerel. She wears a brown hood, a red shawl with a red neckerchief, a yellow patterned kerchief tucked into a green jacket, a pink apron and a blue skirt. Barrels stand on the quay at the right beneath a timber post and beam, two men stand beyond them with their backs turned, ships' masts and rigging rise at the left, and the river with its shipping fills the background.

The London setting is engraved in script above the image as "Billinsgate" and the cry in open capitals below it as "MACKEREL.". The script title spells the place "Billinsgate", without the g before the s. At the lower left is the artist's credit "Craig. del." (del., for delineavit, "drew it"), naming William Marshall Craig as the designer. Along the foot runs the imprint "Published Augst 25 1804 by Richard Phillips 71 St Pauls Church Yard", dating the plate to August 25, 1804.

The plate comes from Modern London; Being the History and Present State of the British Metropolis, printed for Richard Phillips of St. Paul's Church Yard by C. Mercier and Co. in 1804. Alongside its topographical views of the capital the book included a series of hand colored plates of London street traders, each figure shown in working dress against a named street, square or building, so that the set records both the trades and the appearance of the city at the time. The designs in the series are credited to the painter William Marshall Craig where the plates carry his name, as this one does.

The hand coloring and the named London setting make it a good choice for a hallway, kitchen or study, alone or hung with other plates from the series.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.