What Is The Difference Between Story And Narrative?
A story is a format, almost like a genre, whereas narratives are forever changing. For example if a big event happened and the police came to ask about it the event would be a story and the way that the witnesses’ describe it would be the narrative. You can tell narratives of the same story. It is very subjective and hybrid, with different people telling different narratives, or some people even having the exact same way of thinking.
Narrative can start to be constructed when two and two go together, your titles of your zine has to flow with the images within, which each have to flow with each other. For example you couldn’t have a zine that’s half birds and then half apples. The way that you select your images and how you sequence them within the zine will construct your narrative.
Your title plays a big part in identifying what you are trying to tell, it creates the story line, a base and format leaving the mind to link the connotations between your images and your text.
What Is A Zine?
The word ‘Zine’ is a slang word for magazine. Zines are short informal magazines, created to more entertain rather than educate. Magazines are paid productions of media, created by media conglomerates that create revenue by advertising and selling, whereas zines are more personal and hand made, they do not aim to create money so there are generally free and do not contain any adverts.
What Will Be My Story?
My zines story is going to be about the St. Helier harbour. I wanted to create something that shows the trade and exchange in Jersey, something that portrays how useful our waters and quays are.
Describe In Three Words
Jersey Trade & Communication
Describe In A sentence
An observation of the essentiality of Jerseys harbours and relationships.
Describe With A Paragraph
I want to tell a story about how important Jerseys trade and communications is. Jersey is a very small island, which means we are heavily dependant on other people. Although Jerseys harbours are seen as historic, just a maritime museum, I am going to portray how important they still are. We need trade to survive, without it we would collapse as a whole, that’s why keeping communications up is so important.
How Will I Create A Narrative And Tell My Story?
Anchorage with the title.
Use black and white images to portray history.
Use colourful images to create liveliness.
Use images with people in to observe communication.
Have images that flow, and all relate to trade and communicating.
Use images from different sections of the harbour to show trades impact.
Use images that portray wealth so I can show how trade has impacted our island.
Use an image of the trade being sold for goods (Quayside Café)
Use create fonts and words to tell a unique story.
Maybe include some images from the photographic archive to show the history of trade.
Use some image captions to add a signified meaning.
Maybe add a short introduction to let people know what I want them to interpret.
Much of the harbour infrastructure is ageing and no longer meets the needs of today’s passengers or vessels. The Harbour Master Plan aims to modernise the facilities which have developed piecemeal over many centuries.
The regeneration will safeguard the long-term viability of the harbour, serving both passengers and freight, improve customer experience, and realise the area’s potential as a leisure, cultural and tourism destination.
Saint Helier Harbour is named after Helier (or Helerius), a 6th-century ascetic hermit from Belgium. The traditional date of his martyrdom is AD 555. His feast day, marked by an annual municipal and ecumenical pilgrimage to the Hermitage, is on 16 July.
The medieval hagiographies of Helier, the patron saint martyred in Jersey and after whom the parish and town are named, suggest a picture of a small fishing village on the dunes between the marshy land behind and the high-water mark.
Harbour History
Over the years, the harbour did develop a lot. From the 19th century to the 21st century, the size, technicality and involvement has changed dramatically as the roads and land grew near the harbour.
In the 19th Century the Old Harbour was constructed. The Chamber of Commerce urged the States Assembly to build a new harbour, but they refused, so the Chamber took it into their own hands and paid to upgrade the harbour in 1790. To shelter the jetty and harbour a new breakwater was constructed and in 1814 the merchants constructed the roads now known as Commercial Buildings and Le Quai des Marchand’s. They did this to connect the harbours to the town and in 1832 construction was finished on the Esplanade and its sea wall. In 1837, a rapid expansion in shipping led the States of Jersey to order the construction of two new piers.
The main harbour is the Victoria quay and the North quay.
Marinas
There are three marinas — the La Collette Yacht Basin, the Saint Helier Marina (built in 1980) and the Elizabeth Marina. The La Collette Yacht Basin is the only one of these to provide non-tidal, 24-hour access to the sea and is home to Jersey’s commercial fishing fleet.
Since 2008, Saint Helier Marina has been the venue for the annual Jersey Boat Show.
Conclusion
The development of the harbours on Jersey, Channel Islands, is a story closely linked to the island’s economic, strategic, and military importance over the centuries. Early in Jersey’s history, natural harbours like St. Helier’s Harbour were essential for trade and fishing, with St. Helier becoming the island’s main port by the Middle Ages, serving as a key hub for maritime activity between England, France, and the wider world. The growth of Jersey as a naval and trading outpost under the Normans in the 12th century led to the expansion of port facilities, although the lack of a deep natural harbour at St. Helier initially limited larger ships. This prompted the construction of piers, wharves, and protective breakwaters. Over the centuries, as Jersey’s maritime economy flourished with its significant involvement in fishing, shipbuilding, and privateering, these early harbours were progressively expanded and fortified. The 16th and 17th centuries saw the construction of fortified structures, such as Elizabeth Castle, which, along with other forts, played a role in protecting the harbours from French and Spanish threats during the ongoing conflicts between England and France. By the 18th and 19th centuries, the commercial and strategic importance of Jersey’s harbours had grown significantly, especially during the Napoleonic Wars, when extensive fortifications were added to safeguard against potential invasion. St. Helier’s Harbour underwent major redevelopment in the 19th century with the construction of new piers and docks to accommodate an increase in trade, including the flourishing fishing and shipping industries, which saw Jersey involved in global trade routes, particularly in commodities like sugar, rum, and cotton. The advent of steamships in the 19th century further prompted infrastructure improvements to cater to more efficient, faster vessels. The construction of St. Aubin’s Harbour in the 18th century also added to Jersey’s maritime capacity, serving both as a commercial port and a military port during times of conflict. The 20th century brought new challenges, particularly during World War II, when the harbours were crucial for German occupation forces, who strengthened coastal defenses and constructed naval installations. After the war, the harbours were modernized for post-war trade and tourism, with increased passenger ferry services linking Jersey to France and mainland Britain. St. Helier’s Harbour was significantly expanded and modernized in the mid-20th century with the creation of new quays, deepening of docking areas, and the construction of new port facilities to accommodate larger vessels. Today, the island’s harbours, especially St. Helier, remain central to Jersey’s economy, serving as the main gateway for imports, exports, tourism, and leisure boating. The harbours continue to evolve, with modern facilities for cruise ships, cargo handling, and recreational yachts, while maintaining their historical legacy as vital nodes in Jersey’s maritime heritage. The development of the island’s harbours, therefore, mirrors its shifting roles in European trade, warfare, and modern tourism, shaping both the physical and cultural landscape of Jersey.
A photo story is the intentional use of pictures and words assembled into a story. One of the best ways you can tell a photo story is in a photo book. To better understand what a photo story is, it can be helpful to understand what a photo story is not.
In photography, visual storytelling is often called a ‘photo essay‘ or ‘photo story’, to convey one single message.
How do you create a picture story?
Questions are the best way to elicit a decent plan for your pictures to tell a proper story. Here are some of our favorites:
What is your story’s goal?
What genre does it fit within?
Who are the key characters? How can you gain their trust?
What research do you need to do on your subject or location?
How much time do you have?
What level of access do you have?
What equipment and props do you need?
When and where are you going?
What lighting and weather will you need to prep for?
What’s the arc of your story? How will you capture the beginning, middle, and end?
How will you share your story? What medium will you use?
Examples of picture story’s
In 1948, it was commissioned by Life Magazine, Smith spent 23- days with Dr. Ernest Ceriani and produced a photo essay about Colorado’s country doctor.
Eugene Smith’s at-times almost unsettlingly intimate pictures illustrate in poignant detail the challenges faced by a modest, tireless rural physician—and gradually reveal the inner workings and the outer trappings of what is clearly a uniquely rewarding life.
Another Example
Afghanistan by Simon Nor flock. Simon Norfolk is a Nigerian landscape photographer from Lagos whose work mainly focuses on the nature of battlefields and conflict zones in their various forms. The war in Afghanistan has been going on for nearly 30 years now and because of this the landscape has been very much changed by the conflicts over this long period of time. This 12 picture series is one chapter in a continuous project Norfolk has been creating which attempts to understand how war and the need to fight war has shaped our world. The project also explores how daily life is influenced by military conflict through the technology we use and films we watch for example.
My Plan
I want to create a more informal photobook, but also one that is more relatable. My plan is to make one about teenage life and teenage culture, and also include the historical context of Jersey. For example I would like too make a mini book promoting Jersey and Jerseys teenagers, since there is a lot of superstition about them being so evil.
Photography turns ordinary into the extraordinary. It transforms what it describes, and reveals so much but keeps so much too itself, which frames reality. It can be objective and subjective because it is told by a persons intuition. It fixes the shadows, before the event of digital tools. You need darkness too see light.
Aberlardo Morell & Camera Obscurer
To use a camera obscurer, you need a blackout room, basically a box of light. Creating a small hole frame to let light in. The image is then portrayed on the wall upside-down and 2x bigger, the rays of light pass through the small hole. The reason this happens is because light travels in straight lines. The Latin name obscurer means dark chamber. Aberlardo Morell born 1948 is a contemporary artist known for transforming rooms into camera obscurers. He started his series in 1992, and was awarded with the Infinity Award from the International Centre of Photography.
Pinhole photography
A pinhole is a smaller homemade version of the camera obscurer, it is a simple camera without a lens but with a tiny aperture called a pinhole. It is a light proof box with a small hole in one side. Light from a scene passes through the hole creating an inverted image on the opposing side of the aperture. The size of the image depends on the distance between the object and the pinhole. Pinhole cameras operate based on the concept of rectilinear light motion, which explains that light moves in straight paths. The pinhole camera is the simplest kind of camera. It does not have a lens.
Nicephore Niepce & Heliography
Joseph Nicephore Niepce born 1765, was a French inventor and one of the earliest pioneers of photography. He created heliography, a technique which is used to create the worlds oldest surviving products of a photographic process. Niépce conducted photographic experiments with the goal of meeting the increasing demand for inexpensive pictures by copying prints and capturing real-life scenes in the camera. During the following ten years, he experimented with various chemicals, materials, and methods in order to improve the process that he later named héliographie, meaning ‘sun writing.’
An old method of photography, héliographie, creates photoengraving’s on metal plates coated with asphalt. In general, it is considered a form of photography. Heliography, from the Greek words helios (meaning “sun”) and graphein (meaning “writing”). This process was used to create the first surviving photograph from nature, View from the Window at Le Gras. Niépce created the heliograph by mixing light-sensitive bitumen with oil of lavender and spreading a thin layer on a polished pewter plate. He placed the plate inside a camera obscura and placed it close to a window in his upper-level work space. After being in the sun for days, the plate showed a representation of the courtyard, outbuildings, and trees.
Louis Daguerre & Daguerreotype
Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre was a French artist and photographer, recognized for his invention of the eponymous daguerreotype process of photography. He became known as one of the fathers of photography He learned architecture, theatre design, and panoramic painting from Pierre Prévost, the pioneer French panorama painter, during his apprenticeship.
The daguerreotype is a direct-positive process, creating a highly detailed image on a sheet of copper plated with a thin coat of silver without the use of a negative. The process required great care. The silver-plated copper plate had first to be cleaned and polished until the surface looked like a mirror. The daguerreotype technique allowed for the reproduction of images from a camera obscura and their conservation as physical objects. It was the initial functional method of photography and marked the beginning of a fresh era of visual potential.. Daguerreotypes are commonly stored in small cases with hinges, which are constructed from wood and wrapped in leather, paper, fabric, or mother of pearl. Unlike photographic paper, a daguerreotype is rigid and heavy.
Henry Fox Talbot & Calotype
William Henry Fox Talbot, his research in the 1840s paved the way for the development of the phytoglyphic engraving technique, which eventually evolved into photogravure. He owned a contentious patent that influenced the initial growth of commercial photography in Britain. He was a recognized photographer who also played a role in the advancement of photography as an art form. Talbot developed a method for producing moderately light-resistant and long-lasting photographs that was the first one accessible to the general public; nevertheless, it was not the initial process of its kind invented or publicly disclosed.
The calotype looked like a mouse trap. It was an improvement of the daguerreotype. A sheet of paper coated with silver chloride was exposed to light in a camera obscurer. The areas that were hit by light became a dark tone yielding like a negative image. He discovered gallic acid could be used to develop the image on the paper, basically accelerating the silver chloride’s chemical reaction making the process speedy.
Robert Cornelius & Self-Portraiture
Robert Cornelius stood alone in the yard of his family’s Philadelphia gas lighting business. . In front of him was a makeshift camera, its lens fashioned from an opera glass. He’d already determined the daylight was adequate to expose the carefully prepared metal plate within the camera and take a photograph of himself. Last but not least, he had to remain motionless and gaze forward for 10 to 15 minutes — no easy task .He managed Cornelius & Co. (later known as Cornelius & Baker) and had great success with his invention of the “solar lamp”. At the time, whale-oil was used in lamps but had become very expensive. Cornelius revised a British lamp design which forced additional air into the burner and allowed for the burning of lard rather than whale oil. He applied for and received a U.S. patent for the “solar lamp” in 1843. The lamp proved extremely popular and was sold in the U.S. and Europe. Two large factories in Philadelphia manufactured the lamp.
The study of self-portraits, known as self-portraiture or auto portraiture, focuses on the history, methods, distribution, reception, styles, and interpretations of self-portraits. The growth of language is ever-changing and factual. For instance, the word selfie was only coined in the 1980s. Robert Cornelius took the first ever selfie. He pathed the way, selfies and self portraiture is still used today by billions of people all around the world, it has developed to be as easy as just turning your phones camera on.
Julia Margeret Cameron & Pictorialism
“From the first moment I handled my lens with a tender ardour,” she wrote, “and it has become to me as a living thing, with voice and memory and creative vigour.” Photography became Cameron’s link to the writers, artists, and scientists who were her spiritual and artistic advisors, friends, neighbours, and intellectual correspondents. “I began with no knowledge of the art,” she wrote. “I did not know where to place my dark box, how to focus my sitter, and my first picture I effaced to my consternation by rubbing my hand over the filmy side of the glass.” She was indefatigable in her efforts to master the difficult steps in producing negatives with wet collodion on glass plates. Cameron had no interest in establishing a commercial studio, however, and never made commissioned portraits. Instead, she enlisted friends, family, and household staff in her activities.
Pictorialism was a global movement and aesthetic movement that was prevalent in photography in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A style where the photographer alters a regular photo to create an image instead of just capturing it. Usually, a visual image seems to have a blurry focus, is produced in colours other than black-and-white, and may display brush strokes or surface alterations. A photograph was a means of conveying emotional intent to the viewer, much like a painting, drawing, or engraving. Pictorialism flourished from around 1885 to 1915, with certain individuals advocating for it until the 1940s. Pictorialism lost its popularity slowly after 1920, but it remained popular until the conclusion of World War II. In this era, the trend of Modernist photography became popular, and people became more interested in highly detailed images like those found in Ansel Adams’ work.
Henry Mullins & Carte-de-Visit
Henry Mullins was the most productive among the initial Jersey photographers in the mid-1800s. Between 1848 and 1873, he created numerous portraits of locals at his thriving studio in the prestigious Royal Square, St Helier. As a professional photographer, he always welcomed the fast technological advancements that coincided with his career. Despite the establishment of several photography studios in St Helier during the 1850s and 1860s, Henry Mullins remained the preferred photographer for prominent individuals in Jersey society and prosperous local and immigrant families. Mullins’s work quality matched his productivity level, as demonstrated by the detailed portraits of Victorian islanders found in his photo albums.
Carte-de-visite was originally a visiting card, particularly one adorned with a photographic portrait. Highly favored during the mid-1800s, the carte-de-visite was promoted by Parisian portrait photographer André-Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri, who patented the technique in 1854. Disdéri employed a camera with four lenses, producing eight negatives measuring 3.5 × 2.5 inches (8.89 × 6.35 cm) on a single plate. The big print created from the plate was divided into small portraits and each one was individually placed on cards sized around 4 × 3 inches (10 × 7.6 cm). These cards were cost-effective compared to other portrait options, as they allowed for eight different poses in one session and needed no editing.
Overall I took mostly landscape pictures of St. Helier’s harbour, my reasoning for that was because a portrait shot just wouldn’t be able to capture it all. The lighting of all the photos are general daylight, on a cloudy day, but you can see the sun peeking out at certain times, allowing me to capture images in different lights. There is quite a lot of repetition within my images, because I really wanted to capture the right angle of things, such as building’s. I wanted to be able to get all three buildings with the red doors in one image. I have mainly led the eye with objects being in the foreground in most of my images, rather than having things hiding and making people really look to find an object, this is because I wanted to show the historic simplicity of the harbour, for example those buildings have been there since forever and will continue to stand, so I wanted to portray how bold they are.
Editing In Lightroom
Reasoning Why
I have edited my images with a lot of light dark contrast, the reason for this is because I wanted to portray the bold seas against the light breeze. I have used a lot of anchoring to portray my images, for example the image of the van being the main object at the front of the foreground, this helps lead the eye to the words “Channel Seaways”, to make people wonder about what was in the van, and where it was going. It also makes people realise that although the harbour seems to be very historic and out of use it is still indefinitely in use, people are spending their whole days there working 9 to 5s. I think a lot of my images have good harmony, all aspects of the image correlate with each other, for example the image of the RNLI lifeguard mural, and with the rocks around the path that state different boats and there weights and what they’re made of.
Favourite Image Analysis
This image was taken within natural daylight, it was a cloudy day which makes the sky look darker, looking like the image is taken in the evening or night when really it was the start of the day. This image has a overall dark tonal range, with a lot of blacks an browns apart from the white of the truck it is overall neutral tones. This was taken with a wider lens, zoomed out and landscape to capture the whole vehicle, the road, pavement and the buildings behind. This image is a bit over exposed, but I have done this to portray the boldness of the modern vehicle against the old brick buildings. The image is very textured, being able to see each stone used to create the buildings and the pavement. Also being able too see the clouds with a lot of texture, to create a darker feeling, like the camera has taken a photo so clear that you would’ve seen something more blurry if you were there. I have confined this image to have the truck in the main depth of field, drawing you to that straight away, and then having the poles and pavement in the foreground an the buildings in the background to create a nice harmony, using a rues of third’s, the truck, the pavement/poles and the buildings. My idea between this image was mainly contrast, I wanted to create multiple different types of contrast, for example the colour contrast and the modern vs historical contrast.
Overall Evaluation
I overall think that this photoshoot went very well and I was able to capture multiple different elements of the harbour, trade, lifeboat’s and fishing. This allowed me to edit my images in a creative way to dictate contrast and historical presence. One thing I would do next time would aim to go on a nicer day, with a clearer sky, whether that be in the evening or a day just a less foggy environment, to create better lighting.
The Jersey Channel Islands have a rich and complex maritime history, shaped by their strategic location in the English Channel, close to both the coast of France and the southern coast of England. Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands, has played a pivotal role in maritime trade, defense, and cultural exchange throughout its history. Here’s an overview of key themes in Jersey’s maritime past:
1. Strategic Location and Early History
Location: Situated about 14 miles (22 km) from the French coast and 100 miles (160 km) from England, Jersey lies at the crossroads of major sea routes, historically making it a crucial point for trade and military defense.
Prehistoric and Roman Era: Jersey was inhabited in prehistoric times, and evidence of early human activity includes ancient burial sites and rock carvings. During the Roman occupation of Britain (43–410 AD), Jersey was part of the Roman province and used for trade, though its direct involvement with Roman maritime activities is not fully known.
Medieval Maritime Economy: After the fall of the Roman Empire, Jersey’s maritime role grew as it became part of the Duchy of Normandy. The island’s position made it a key stop for trading vessels between France and England, particularly in the medieval period.
2. Viking and Norman Influence
In the 9th and 10th centuries, the Vikings raided and eventually settled in parts of the Channel Islands. The Normans, who were originally Scandinavian but had settled in what is now Normandy (France), began to exert control over Jersey and the other Channel Islands by the 10th century.
In 1066, when William the Conqueror (Duke of Normandy) became King of England, Jersey came under the control of the Norman rulers. This strengthened the island’s maritime connections with both France and England.
Norman Shipbuilding: Under the Normans, shipbuilding became a significant industry, and Jersey became a hub for naval activity, especially during conflicts between England and France.
3. Medieval and Early Modern Maritime Trade
Ports and Trade: The medieval port of St. Helier, which became Jersey’s principal town, grew in importance as a trading hub. The island’s economy during this period was largely based on fishing, shipbuilding, and trade with England, France, and beyond.
Fishing Industry: Fishing was a cornerstone of Jersey’s maritime economy, with the cod fishery being particularly important. Jersey fishermen ventured as far as Newfoundland and Iceland by the late Middle Ages, establishing a prominent presence in the North Atlantic.
Shipbuilding: The island’s shipyards produced various types of vessels, from merchant ships to military vessels, and Jersey’s maritime industry contributed significantly to England’s naval strength.
4. The Channel Islands in the Wars between England and France
Throughout the medieval period and into the Early Modern era, Jersey’s location in the English Channel made it a key site of conflict between England and France.
During the Hundred Years’ War (1337–1453), Jersey was frequently contested. In 1341, Jersey was seized by French forces but was recaptured by English forces in 1350. French attacks continued, but Jersey’s defenses, including fortifications like Elizabeth Castle, helped ensure the island remained in English hands.
Piracy and Privateering: During the 16th and 17th centuries, Jersey’s maritime economy was also intertwined with privateering and piracy. Jersey privateers (licensed pirates), under English authority, were active in disrupting French and Spanish shipping during the conflicts between the major European powers. The island’s strategic location made it a base for such operations, and privateering was an essential part of Jersey’s maritime history.
5. The 18th and 19th Centuries: The Rise of Commerce and Naval Power
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815): During the Napoleonic Wars, Jersey became a focal point in the conflict between Britain and France. The island’s strategic location was crucial for controlling access to the English Channel. While Jersey was never invaded by Napoleon’s forces, the island’s defenses were heavily fortified, with new forts like Fort Regent built to ward off potential French attacks.
Commerce and Industry: In the 19th century, Jersey’s maritime economy became more commercialized. Jersey was involved in trade with the Americas, particularly in commodities like sugar, cotton, and rum. The slave trade also played a role in Jersey’s economy, with the island’s merchants sometimes involved in the triangular trade between Africa, the West Indies, and Europe.
Fishing and Shipping: The island’s fishing industry continued to thrive in the 19th century, particularly for herring, cod, and mackerel. The development of steam-powered ships also transformed Jersey’s maritime landscape, as steamers were used to link the island with mainland England and France more efficiently.
6. World War II: Occupation and Resistance
German Occupation (1940–1945): During World War II, Jersey and the other Channel Islands were the only part of the British Isles to be occupied by Nazi Germany. The Germans built extensive fortifications on the island as part of the Atlantic Wall, including bunkers, gun emplacements, and airstrips, many of which are still visible today.
Naval Action and Maritime Resistance: The island was a focal point for maritime operations, both in terms of German naval activity and British naval attacks. The Royal Navy launched several operations to disrupt German supply lines, and Jersey became a key site for espionage and resistance activities. The Jersey Underground worked to sabotage German operations, while the island’s residents lived under difficult conditions during the occupation.
Post-War Impact: After the war, Jersey’s maritime activity was focused on rebuilding, but the occupation left a lasting mark on the island’s landscape and culture. The fortifications and wartime history are still an important part of Jersey’s maritime heritage.
7. Modern Maritime Economy
Tourism and Sailing: In the post-war period, Jersey shifted towards a more tourism-driven economy. The island’s maritime heritage is a major part of its modern identity, attracting tourists interested in the island’s rich history and beautiful coastline.
Fisheries and Marine Protection: Today, fishing remains important to Jersey, although the industry faces challenges such as overfishing and environmental concerns. The island has also developed marine protected areas and sustainable fisheries management to ensure the long-term viability of its maritime industries.
Port and Shipping: Jersey continues to serve as a key port for the region, particularly for ferries linking the island to mainland Britain and France. It also has a vibrant recreational boating and sailing community, and events like the Round the Island Yacht Race are held regularly.
8. Maritime Museums and Heritage
Jersey’s maritime history is preserved and celebrated through various museums and cultural sites, including the Jersey Maritime Museum, which highlights the island’s long history of seafaring, shipbuilding, and maritime trade. The museum features exhibits on Jersey’s role in the Atlantic trade, the island’s wartime experiences, and its fishing heritage.
Elizabeth Castle, which was originally a fortress used for defense during the medieval and Napoleonic periods, also has a maritime theme, as it was historically an important naval base.
Conclusion
Jersey’s maritime history is deeply intertwined with the political, economic, and cultural shifts of Europe. From its strategic military importance in medieval times to its role in global trade, privateering, and fishing, the island has seen centuries of human activity on the sea. Today, Jersey’s maritime heritage continues to influence its economy, tourism, and cultural identity, serving as a reminder of the island’s enduring relationship with the sea.
What was the involvement of Jersey mariners in the Canadian cod-fisheries and the Transatlantic carrying trade?
It has been more than 400 years since the first Islanders crossed the Atlantic in search of pastures new. They went to plunder the cod-rich seas of the American and Canadian coast. European fishermen were making the transatlantic voyage to the area each year to fish for cod.
Jerseys famous men
A jersey merchant, Charles Robin ,operated one of the biggest companies on the Gaspé coast where he set up the fishing post at Paspebiac in 1767 right after Canada passed to the English.
This included Jerseys lieutenant-governor sir George Carteret, who was the founder member of the royal Africa company which traded ivory, golf and enslaved people in the early 17th century.
People like Captain François Messervy of Jersey who was murdered in 1722 during an uprising on board his slave ship off in the coast of Africa and the Jersey trader Josué Mauger who in 1752 advertised enslaved people for sale in Nova Scotia, Canada, where his business was based were involved in the enslavement of slaves.
Which ports did Jersey ships sail to and trade with?
Channel Island fishermen were among these and by the 1750s they had set up lucrative trade routes between Canada, Europe and America, establishing bases on the Gaspé Coast (eastern Quebec province, Canada. The peninsula extends east-northeastward for 150 miles from the Matapédia River into the Gulf of St. Lawrence.) where they could salt and prepare the cod.
The earliest harbours known in the island were areas such as Havre des Pas, St Brelade, St Aubin and La Rocque were used as ‘mini’ harbours. There was mention of an apparent Spanish ship taking on a cargo of wheat “in the harbour of St Obin”.
As ships became increasingly larger, Gorey, which is first mentioned as a port in 1274, began to grow its importance and on the year of 1685 Dumaresq map appeared a small pier was shown although a survey, Dumaresq describes as it being decayed. On the map it also appears a simple stone pier at St Brelade. However there were no type of facilities in St Helier at this time.
St Helier was the main harbour that was used for ships to sail and trade with.
What type of goods did Jersey merchants exchange for cod-fish?
Jersey merchants exchanged cod-fish for many types of goods. For example:
Rum
Tobacco
Sugar
Plantation goods
Coffee
Cotton
Malasses
Jersey seamen braved the ocean to bring back cod fish and oil, skins, furs, sugar, tobacco, etc. 1806- 4,000 tods of wool were imported into Jersey. In exchange, Robin would load his ship with plantation produce such as sugar, rum, molasses, cotton, coffee and tobacco before sailing across on the third leg of the Atlantic triangular trade route to the Mediterranean, England and Jersey.
To what extend, has the island of Jersey benefitted from its constitutional relationship with Britain and the legacies of colonialism based on a slave plantation economy during the first Industrial Revolution (1760-1840)?
Due to the cod trade and related shipping industry, the spawn of shipbuilding industry with a significant number of shipyards on the south and east coasts of jersey. Initially, fishing vessels for the jersey fleet had been built in the outposts in Canada. This activity then shifted to jersey, with the large scale commercial shipyard starting operation in 1815. In that year, 69 vessels with the total tonnage of 7,519 were registered in jersey and by 1865, these figures had increased to 422 and 48,629, about 80% of the tonnage having been built locally. It is estimated that in the 1860s about 6% of the total tonnage of wooden fishing fleets built in the British Isles had been built in the Channel Islands, mainly Jersey
The best indication of the growth of the economy in the first half of the 19th century was the doubling of the size in population from 28,600 in 1821 to 57,020 in 1851.
Some more important dates include:
1699 – Finally a Monsieur Maillet circa 1750 got the fishing industry profitable.
1766-1842 – Jersey profited by the British conquests in Canada. It almost transformed the Gaspé coast between these years into a Jersey colony.
By the 1770s there may have been up to 70 Jersey ships and 2,000 Jerseymen engaged in the cod trade. By the 1840s it is estimated that the industry directly employed 4,000 people. Also, many others were engaged in manufacturing goods to be exported to the Canadian settlements.
Then, additional English speaking immigrant labourers, which many were Irish, came to work on the major building schemes such as the Esplanade, fort regent, St Catherines harbour project and the harbour development. The unskilled workers were underpaid and exploited which meant they lived in the poorest parts of town where they were exposed to cholera epidemics of 1832 and 1849. Other nationalities began their print on Jersey due to the work opportunities.
Fun Facts About Jerseys Maritime History
Rope Walk- Behind Jerseys shipyards there were a number of rope-makers and rope-walks (: a long covered walk, building, or room where ropes are manufactured.) This can be remembered by walking along Green Street in town, where you’ll find place names like Rope walk and La Corderie (Rope making in French).
St Brelarde- Record’s from 1810 show that this bay was very popular with smugglers. Large shipments of Brandy and Gin were taken on at the bay to be secretly delivered to the English coast.
Who was Charles Robin?
Captain of a ship working in the Newfoundland cod trade. Him and his two brothers formed a trade. (Robin & Co.) Sold dried cod to Portugal and Spain. He had connections to the Quebec government which gave him exclusive access to the best beach locations near fishing grounds. He died in St .Aubin on 14th June 1824, aged 81.
Jèrriais Maritime history
bete, bait, beita ;dranet, draw-net, dragnet;flie, a limpet, flie;greer, to rig, greidi;haler, to haul, hala;crabe, a crab, krabbi;mauve, a seagull, mar
During the German Occupation, Jersey folk were able to communicate with each other in secret without the invaders understanding the jargon. After the second world war, a boost in influence from the English language became much more popular, and sadly, the mother tongue began to fade away.
The reasoning for my immature photobooks is that I wanted to promote teenage culture in Jersey. I wanted to make a story describing what we do in Jersey and how we act. That is the connotation of “Public Speaking Places”, I wanted to promote just how open Jersey is, there’s places everywhere to sit and talk, it creates an amazing environment that allow people to socialise.
The reason behind the art of skateboarding, was to show that its more than just a hobby. Some people don’t even look at it like its a sport, they think its just a bunch of teenagers messing around, when in reality the art of skateboarding has changed so many peoples lives. Things are changing in out world, for example skateboarding now being a sport in the Olympics.
The reason behind my the forefront book, was to create a set of images which are plain and bland. People are amused by plain things because it boots there ego, allowing them to figure everything out will make them want to look longer. Hence why such boring paintings and images sell for such a high price.
He was a French artist, and considered a master of candid photography. He pioneered the genre of street photography. He was one of the founding member’s of Magnum photos (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnum_Photos) but discontinued most of his images and opted to paint instead. “Photography isn’t just about images; it’s about capturing the essence of existence.” Cartier-Bresson was born in Chanteloup, France, and began his career as a journalist and photographer in the 1930s. He served in the French Resistance during World War II, using his photography skills to document the war effort.
In the 1940s and 1950s, Cartier-Bresson became known for his innovative approach to photography, which emphasized capturing the essence of a moment or scene in a single frame. He believed that photography should be a way to reveal the human condition, rather than simply documenting reality. He coined the term “decisive moment” to describe this concept, which refers to the fleeting instant when all the elements of a scene come together to create a powerful and meaningful image.
The decisive moment.
The book Cartier-Bresson penned in 1952, in French, was called Images à la Sauvette (“Images on the Run”). It was quite literally about taking pictures in a dynamic and moving world. He used the term “decisive moment” in his writing, with very specific meaning, but the term was appropriated as the title in the English translation.
For Cartier-Bresson, the decisive moment was not just about capturing a specific event or action, but rather about capturing the essence of the human experience.
Some key characteristics of the decisive moment include:
A sense of tension or drama
A feeling of anticipation or movement
A strong sense of human connection or interaction
A balance of shapes, lines, and textures
A sense of depth or layering
A strong emotional resonance
Timing: The ability to capture the exact moment when something significant was happening.
Composition: The way the elements of the scene were arranged to create a harmonious and balanced composition.
Light: The quality and direction of the light, which could add mood and atmosphere to the image.
Storytelling: The ability to tell a story or convey a sense of narrative through the image.
The decisive moment is not limited to specific subjects or genres, but can be applied to various forms of photography, including street photography, portrait photography, landscape photography, and more.
Examples Mood board –
What is a decisive moment.
A decisive moment generally cannot be re-create. It is a moment in time, it can be planned in a way that the photographer may wait for someone to walk past a specific structured place, where he has set up his camera perfectly. A decisive moment is also sometimes described as a miracle accident, something that wasn’t entirely planned but turned out amazing. An example of the decisive moment would be taking photos of a couple engaging in a romantic gesture, now if you were to ask the couple if you could take the photo it would change the way they act and therefore it wouldn’t end up being the same raw moment it once was. This is the whole point of a decisive moment, a moment before people change their behaviour and how they act, being just natural and just them.
Henri Cartier Bresson viewed photography in a special way
Photography as a way to capture the human experience: Cartier-Bresson believed that photography should be used to capture the essence of human experience, to tell stories about people, and to reveal the human condition.
Photography as a momentary capture: He emphasized the importance of capturing a single moment, often referred to as the “decisive moment,” when all the elements of a scene come together to create a powerful image.
Photography as a means to reveal the unconscious: Cartier-Bresson believed that photography could reveal the unconscious aspects of human behavior, revealing hidden truths and emotions.
Photography as an act of observation: He emphasized the importance of observing and waiting for the right moment, rather than staging or manipulating scenes.
Photography as a form of storytelling: Cartier-Bresson saw photography as a way to tell stories about people, places, and cultures, often using a series of images rather than a single frame.
Photography as an art form: He believed that photography was an art form that required creativity, skill, and intuition, and that it should be judged on its artistic merit rather than technical quality.
Photography as a reflection of reality: Cartier-Bresson believed that photography should reflect reality, but also acknowledged that it is always subjective and influenced by the photographer’s perspective.
Photography as a way to transcend time and space: He believed that photography could capture moments in time and spaces that would otherwise be lost, allowing us to transcend time and space.
Photography as a means to connect with others: Cartier-Bresson saw photography as a way to connect with others, to understand their lives and experiences, and to create empathy and understanding.
Leica rangefinder with a 50mm lens.
Henri Cartier Bresson was known for using a Leica rangefinder with a 50mm lens because, these cameras were compact, reliable and their design was very discrete and more hidden to the naked eye than other cameras of the era. This allowed him to take images without disrupting the moment. He also used the Leica rangefinder because of it’s stealth, quiet shutter which allowed sneaky photos to be taken without drawing attention. This silent tactic was crucial for someone who believed in capturing natural, realistic, authentic, upstaged moments.
