Sunbonnets on the beach

The beach women of Grand Bank, Newfoundland were skilled labourers of the Bank Fishery, one that began in the late nineteenth century. Just as the men fished for cod off the Grand Banks, the women worked on the land; spreading and piling codfish on natural beaches to make a perfectly dried, saltfish product ready for market. During the fishing season from April until October, women as young as 11 helped their mothers and grandmothers make fish everyday but Sunday, if the weather stayed fine. Beach women were easily recognized by their white aprons and white sunbonnets as they walked through the town of Grand Bank, heading to the beaches as early as five or six in the morning. Their sunbonnets or sunshades feature prominently in the memories and recollections of residents and visitors to the town

Archaeology · Fish · Fish <Actinopterygii> · Fishery · Fishing · Folklore · Geography · White (mutation · Canadian Identity and History · Folklore, Mythology, and Literature Studies · History