Keith Vaughan designed a number of fabrics for Edinburgh Weavers between 1956 and 1958. Vaughan was among several contemporary artists commissioned by Alastair Morton, their director, to produce designs. Morton approached Vaughan in 1955 or 1956, having seen his paintings at galleries in London. Vaughan based the design for 'Fishermen' on his 1953 lithograph 'The Old Seaweed Hoist', which, in turn, was developed from his oil painting 'Seaweed Hoist' of 1951. The final fabric consists of horizontal bands containing repeated images of a harbour scene with fishermen, lobster pots, an upturned boat, and an anchor.