The seaweed gatherer
Seaweed gatherers, known as goémoniers in French, harvest seaweed — the algae that inhabit Brittany’s coastal reefs. Seaweed is an essential component of agricultural fertilizer. Seaweed would be harvested at low tide, either on foot or using flat-bottomed boats also known as goémoniers. Permitted only during the hours when the lighthouse lights were off, seaweed gathering was particularly active in the Abers region. Seaweed kilns consisted of pits dug in the ground and lined with flat stones. Once burned, seaweed left a liquid residue in the bottom of the pit that hardened as it cooled. This would then be cut into blocks in order to extract the iodine.
![[peinture #00585]](../../../../musee_recherche/mediums/00585.jpg)
#00585
Shore of Audierne Bay
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At centre, a trench for burning wrack. These trenches were filled with the seaweed, which was burned to produce a black paste. As it cooled, it harded into iodine. It was then cut into blocks and sold to pharmaceutical companies.
1942
France, Brittany, Finistère, Audierne Bay
Sketch, pen, sketchbook page (disbound)
Credit: Frédéric Back
Credit: Frédéric Back
