2119, 2120 SAINT MARTIN - Young women on the beach

The influence of the French to the north (Saint Martin) and Dutch in the south (Sint Maarten) gives this island a more European feel. As in other Carribean islands, the traditional dress of women in Saint Martin is Madras, which takes its name from the Madras cloth, a lightweight cotton fabric with typically patterned texture and plaid design.

In nowadays, women wear Madras only during cultural dances etc (especially in the French side), because they have shifted to wearing modern dresses. However, Madras cloth remained fairly commonly, as also the head scarf, which can be tied in a ceremonial fashion or can be worn to show the availability of the woman in courtship. Increasingly more is preferred the wide brimmed hat, because it shades also the face.

1919-1922 FRANCE (Saint Martin) - Market Day in Marigot

1919 Saint Martin - Market Day in Marigot (1)

Marigot, the capital of Saint Martin, with its gingerbread houses and sidewalk bistros, is charming in any day of the week, but if you really want to catch the spirit of the place, you must visit it on Wednesday or on Saturday, when are market days. Marigot market is best described as a melting pot of colours, smells and lively hustle and bustle.

1920 Saint Martin - Market Day in Marigot (2)

Opposite the traditional restaurants, a stone statue, erected by Martin Lynn and donated by an American, commemorates black female market sellers. In 2006, as part of a series of events for black history week, a fresco, again commemorating female market sellers, was painted by an artist from Saint Martin on a wall opposite the market.

1921 Saint Martin - Fruits at Marigot Market

One portion of the market is dominated by permanent vendor stalls, housed under a mass of open Creole huts along the water front. Here can be found fruit and vegetables, spices, local meats and fresh fish caught that day. Here, visitors can sample the full range of flavoured rums, subtle blends of rum, fruits and spices, Shrub (orange peel crushed into rum), or Mauby (a tree bark-based beverage grown).

1922 Saint Martin - Spices at Marigot Market

Temporary tent-style stalls forms another section of the market. These are the type that spring forth like mushrooms on major market days (Wednesday and Saturday) to join their permanent cousins, to grow the market to more than double its original size. Here people browsed through clothing, jewelry, and various crafts.