 The painting, a relatively late work by Hogarth, is one of several in which he experimented with a loose, almost impressionistic style comparable to the work of Fragonard.In its subject matter, it resembles the prints of hawkers and traders popular in Hogarth's day.The painting depicts a woman selling shellfish on the streets of London, typically a job for the wives and daughters of fishmongers who owned stalls in markets such as Billingsgate.