59

Mrs. Doody and Mrs. Cheeseman Drying Fish on Flakes (wooden sticks latch together with green boughs)
1910
Port au Bras, Dominion of Newfoundland

60

Mrs. Doody and Mrs. Cheesman, Port au Bras, checking faggots (pile of dried fish) on fish flakes
Women were truly helpmates and put their hands to the wheel in every sense of the word. They tended their homes, gardens, and flakes (a wooden platform made from sticks latched together with green boughs, of which fish was laid out to dry on. This made easy access for air to freely circulate the fish. Fish, easily burnt if left in the sun, needed frequent rotation.) When not cooking, baking, washing, cleaning, or rearing children, they spent their leasure if they had any left, carding, spinning, knitting, quilting, rug-making or improving the clothing of the younger set by cutting to size the hand-me-downs of the older children. They also took their turn at knitting twine, rowing the boats, working in the fish stages, or in whatever was necessary for their welfare especially in times of plenty and when help was scarce. The children were taught to knit twine, fill needles and to be generally helpful.