Shrimp Seller and Customer, Dutch Costume Print, Maaskamp, 1811

This is an original antique copper engraving with hand coloring, plate No. 9 of Maaskamp's series on Dutch dress and customs, captioned in Dutch "Ik betaal je niets meer voor de garnaten; maar hebt ge ook schelvisch?" Two women face each other by a quay. The fish seller balances a shallow wicker basket with a fish laid across it on a broad straw hat worn over a lace cap, and wears a coral necklace, a red cloak, a white bodice sprigged with pink flowers, a blue checked apron tied with a black band and a dark blue skirt, with a second basket under a checked cloth on her arm. Her customer stands on a gray stone step beside a stone post, in a white cap trimmed with blue checked ribbon, a crimson and black striped gown under a black apron, a parcel tucked under her arm, and yellow slippers.

The Dutch caption translates as "I will pay you nothing more for the shrimps; but do you have any haddock?" The French caption reads "Je ne vous donnerai rien de plus pour les chevrettes; mais avez vous du merlan?", that is, "I will give you nothing more for the shrimps; but do you have any whiting?" Below the image the credits read "G.J.J. van Os, ad viv. delin." at lower left, "J. Kuyper, direx." in the center and "L. Portman, sculp." at lower right, naming G.J.J. van Os as the draughtsman working from life, J. Kuyper as the artistic director and L. Portman as the engraver. The imprint reads "Amsterdam 1811. bij E. Maaskamp, Kalverstraat en Dam No. 1." with a second line, "London published by Colnaghi & Co. Cockspur Street No. 43.", naming the London print sellers Colnaghi and Co.

The plate belongs to Afbeeldingen van de Kleedingen, Zeden en Gewoonten in de Noordelijke Provinciën van het Koningrijk der Nederlanden, the survey of dress, manners and customs in the northern Netherlands published in Amsterdam by Evert Maaskamp, with a parallel French text. Each plate pairs its figures with a short exchange in Dutch, sometimes in regional dialect, and in French, so the costume studies also read as small genre scenes.

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