This code of colours was unique to Staithes
Which is situated here on the East Coast of England
The women of the town carried fish baskets on their head
When transferring the catch when their men returned
And the bonnets were designed with this in mind
The wide brim was there to stop the sun
And the bonnets went over the neck
To stop the fish slipping down their backs
Which would not have been a nice experience
But what about the colours Joe
There are three in this painting if you look closely
It was an unseen language Josie
As the white bonnets were worn
By girls and the unmarried women
Whereas the black bonnets were worn
By women who had been widowed
Which often happened when their men were at sea
But there are also purple ones noted in this painting
The purple bonnets indicated that the widow was coming out of mourning
Which usually lasted between six months and a year
What I find surprising is that some of the women wearing purple
Are not much more than young girls themselves
In a way this is a social commentary of the time
I am so grateful that you brought me here
As this part of England was unknown to me
If you look apart from the bonnets
There are great similarities with Deal
As both depended on the generosity of the sea
Today both towns have grown much softer
But one can still quite easily see the harsh conditions
And the lives spent and often extinguished
By the primitive industry of those bleak forgotten days