The Fish Market, Venice

Nelson Dawson

English artist Nelson Dawson had already had a prolific career as a painter, enameler, jewelry designer, and silversmith before turning his attention to printmaking in 1909. An early interest in nautical and maritime themes - owing to his own experience as a sailor - ignited a desire to capture the everyday lives of fishermen and their families, and in 1914, he began to travel to major ports throughout Europe, sketching as he went.

Venice was of particular interest to Dawson. The unusual boats used on the narrow canals were, at the time, primarily utilitarian in nature, used for carrying agricultural and other industrial materials into the city’s watery arteries. In this scene, large baskets used for hauling fresh catches of fish inland from the Mediterranean Sea are balanced precariously on the tethered boats as fishmongers crowd the pier for choice selections.