The fishwives at Gammel Strand in Copenhagen are a classic Paul Fischer motif, which has also been used frequently by other Danish painters. The motif’s popularity is no doubt due to the loudmouthed fishwives in the heart of the city being a familiar sight and sound for Copenhageners for centuries. The philologist, Professor N.C.L. Abrahams recounts in his childhood memories the conditions at Gammel Strand around the year 1800: “The fishwives were certainly noisy and rambunctious. To keep these Amazons in check, there was a pole erected on the pavement near the canal where an iron neck hung from a chain. This was the so-called pillory, and once in a while we had the tragicomic sight of one of these unruly women parading around with the iron around her neck, with a watchman on each side and surrounded by a swarm of shouting and cheering boys.” (“København før og nu - og aldrig”, vol. 3, 1988, p. 369). In Paul Fischer’s painting from 1923 the fishwives appear more peaceful. Sitting in two long rows on their wooden stools in their characteristic clothing with the white headscarf, they are ready to hand over fish to interested and paying customers.