Factory Girls at the Old Clothes Fair, Knott Mill, Manchester
Frederic James Shields 1833 - 1911
Summary
Crowded, vibrant and colourful urban market scene. In the left foreground an elderly woman tempts two younger women with the old dresses she is selling, dresses that have been regenerated by washing and mending; she crouches next to the clothes arranged on the ground and holds a dress up for her customers to see but they are already admiring a different dress, which the figure, standing in profile to the left, holds up against her. In the right foreground, a woman tries on a pair of shoes with the male stall-holder standing over her; his wares are simply heaped on the street. Beyond the foreground figure-groups, the dense crowds extend into the distance, contained within the square or wide street bordered by tall buildings. On the horizon are hazy forms of the industrial mills, warehouses and their chimneys.
Display Label
Cotton Cotton weaves as warp and weft through Manchester. For 200 years cotton created factories and fortunes. Along canal banks, around mills and warehouses echoes of clattering clogs linger in misty dawns. Cotton linked Manchester with a global hinterland. Raw cotton came from America's Southern States, finished fabric left for every continent on earth. Through cotton, many diverse ethnic groups have long called Manchester their home. When cotton was King many artists and designers found work in Manchester. Today the fashion trade and textile arts thrive in the city, fuelled by creativity and verve.
Object Name
Factory Girls at the Old Clothes Fair, Knott Mill, Manchester
Creators Name
Date Created
1875
Dimensions
support: 25cm x 33.3cm
mount: 35cm x 47.9cm
accession number
1917.257
Collection Group
Place of creation
Manchester
Support
paper
Medium
watercolour
gouache
gum arabic
ink
Credit
Gift of Mr James Gresham
Legal
© Manchester Art Gallery
 1984.35, Lachlan McLachlan.1200x1200.jpg)
