A Shop in the Colony

The shop was a communal space where villagers would spend time interacting socially. The shop has the usual products to be sold, and there were spaces for a quiet rest, casual conversation and simply mingling with the common folks. Living spaces were usually above these shops and the owners mainly Portuguese. The sketch below shows a typical shop scene in British Guiana in 1843.



Source
[image] Illustrated London News, "British Guiana", 1843-03-11