Fishmonger, costume sketch for Henry Irving’s Planned Production of King Richard II 

Edwin Austin Abbey made this costume sketch for Henry Irving’s planned production of King Richard II. Notice the striking horizontal stripes of green and white, a pattern that evokes the sea. A fishmonger, after all, dwells in the liminal space between water and land. Stripes, throughout history, have carried a potent, fluctuating symbolism. In the medieval era, the image was often associated with marginality, appearing on the clothes of jesters or those deemed outside social order. This sense of otherness links to images of criminals dressed this way. Yet, the sea itself has always been a symbol of both danger and abundance, a source of life as well as a route to the unknown. The fishmonger, therefore, stands at a crossroads of meaning, embodying the duality of provision and peril. The costume serves as a visual representation of complex cultural attitudes toward commerce, social status, and the elemental forces that shape human existence. The past is never truly behind us, and the costumes we create for the stage reveal an intricate dance between history and the present moment.