Lobstering Women of Maine

Susan Tobey White's paintings in Lobstering Women vividly depict Maine women's participation in today's lobster fishing. The paintings tell the stories of what the women have to do every day to be successful in an industry dominated by men. Susan Tobey White's inspiration was watching a woman unloading lobster traps from a boat on to a snow-covered dock. Her first painting was of this hard-working young woman.The simple idea began: a series of paintings of women lobstering. Now, eighteen portraits later, we see what is needed for the work of lobstering: painting buoys, baiting traps, hauling the traps, sizing the lobsters and banding them. All the while maneuvering the powerful boat. Several generations of women and girls along the Coast of Maine are represented. These are hardworking women who juggle family, school, and other jobs, along with their joy of being out on the water. How long the lobster fishing industry will last is now an open question. Global warming, species protection, and a declining lobster population have put this time-honored work at risk. And it may be that the women lobsterfishers see this more clearly than their male counterparts.