Fishing in the traditional village in many areas was a secondary occupation, practiced mainly in spring, summer and autumn, being a way in which people supplemented their food resources and income. Traditional fishing was initially practiced by hand, but the fishing weapons and methods used in various areas were imposed by season, depth and flow of waters. Fishing weapons weren’t missing from the inventory of households located near waters, being made of different materials, gradually diversifying, from simple shapes to more complex ones (fishing rod, wafer - made of iron; “vârșa”, basket, trellis - made of twigs; sack, net, “prostovol”, “crâsnic” - made of textile nets).
The negative on glass was made by Romulus Vuia, in 1914, on the banks of the Strei river, Hunedoara county and it catches a man fishing with a tail “crâsnic” - fishing weapon, made of a square net, tied at the corners by two crossed, arched rods.
At the intersection of the two twigs, there is a long wooden tail by which “crâsnic” could be manipulated. The fisherman, standing on the river edge, is dressed up in folk costume specific to the area: black hat with round cap and wide brims; cloth shirt, with upturned collar and mouth in the middle; wide belt; “laibăr” (cloak); long-sleeved aba-made coat; wide cloth drawers, caught under the knees with a narrow strap; “colțuni” (socks) and sandals with high tips, tied to the ankle with long straps.
The cliché, registered with title “Fishing with crâsnic”, inventory no. 205, is made in the silver gelatin-bromide technique on glass support, having the dimensions of 9 cm x 12 cm.
Photo: the MET archive