“Les moulières à Villerville” by Maurice Poirson in the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum, Stirling

This large work depicts mussel gatherers trudging wearily home at the end of a long day collecting mussels on the beach of Villerville, in the north of France. A little girl in tattered clothes and unlaced boots leads the way.

Poirson’s work is inspired by contemporary life, but the formal composition gives it a sense of grandeur typical of the “Academic’ style popular in the late 19th century.

Object description
Type: Easel painting
Location: Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum, Stirling
Material: Oil on canvas
Artist: Maurice Poirson (1846-1882)
Date: 1875

Image Details
Date: 29 March 2026
Camera body: iPhone Xs
Lens: Wide Camera 26mm ƒ/1.8
Focal Length: 26mm
Aperture: ƒ/1.8
Shutter Speed: 1/50s
ISO: 320
Licensing: Image of a Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum asset. This image cannot be licensed.