About Cornish Maids:Cornish Maids is a deeply personal, photography-led project rooted in the lived experience of growing up as a young woman in rural Cornwall.
Shaped by a county dominated by industries such as fishing and farming, the work responds to a quiet yet persistent patriarchy in which women and girls are often sidelined and constrained by tradition, poverty, and isolation. Beneath Cornwall’s romanticised landscapes lie financial precocity and marginalised rural communities, conditions that disproportionately affect young women.
Maids offers an intimate window into the lives and inner worlds of Cornish women and girls, capturing moments of surreal magic reimagined within homes, streets, and the rich landscapes of the Southwest. These images act as gestures of reclamation, holding tenderness and resilience side by side while offering alternative ways of understanding Cornish womanhood; shaped by lived experience rather than inherited tradition alone.
The title Maids refers to a Cornish slang term for women and girls, one that has increasingly taken on diminishing connotations. This project intentionally reclaims the word, transforming it into a symbol of pride, agency, and collective identity. Growing up in rural Cornwall, Francesca felt the weight of this patriarchal environment firsthand, questioning her place in a culture where women often came second. Through Maids, she reclaims space for herself and others, redefining what it means to be a Cornish woman today.
Portfolio:
Tamsyn Kelly:
Credits: Produced, art directed, styled, and photographed by Fran Rowse.
This series was created as the promotional campaign for comedian Tamsyn Kelly’s 2026 show, Hot Titty Bungalow.
Tamsyn describes Fran as a “Cornish girl’s best friend.” Shot on location in Tamsyn’s hometown of Penzance, the series has been featured in Rolling Stone UK and published nationally in print.
LINK: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/tamsyn-kelly-hot-titty-bungalow
Miss Crofton (2024):
Rowse has been the lead photographer for the brand MISS CROFTON for many years, forming a long-standing creative partnership that has helped define the brand’s visual identity.
Her work combines a refined editorial sensibility with an intuitive approach to storytelling, resulting in imagery that feels both authentic and elevated. She has photographed extensively across locations including Amsterdam, London, and Cornwall, drawing inspiration from each environment to create visuals rich in atmosphere and sense of place.
Butterfly Babe:
Rowse photographed LA-based model Malia Sine during London Fashion Week 2025, capturing her within the fast-paced energy and atmosphere of the international fashion calendar.
The work reflects a considered editorial approach, blending movement, mood, and contemporary styling to document the moment with clarity and intent.
Marc Jacobs x Doc Marten:
Rowse led production and casting for the Summer campaign collaboration between Marc Jacobs and Dr. Martens for the Heaven line. Working closely across creative and logistical elements, she oversaw the casting process and campaign production, ensuring a cohesive vision that aligned with the distinctive identities of both brands.
The project reflects a considered approach to talent selection and storytelling, bringing together youth-driven energy, subcultural references, and a contemporary fashion sensibility to create a campaign that feels both expressive and culturally resonant.
Spray Painting Workshop:
“Your Shit in Bed” is a participatory artwork developed as part of a Cornish Maids workshop, created for girls and women aged 18–35. The piece uses paint and spray paint as tools to explore and externalise emotions surrounding female hurt, intimacy, and relational trauma. Rooted in collective expression, the workshop was conceived as a space of sisterhood, emotional honesty, and mutual support.
The workshop offered a rare opportunity for women to express aggression and vulnerability simultaneously, held within a supportive, female-led environment. The atmosphere was emotionally charged and collective, creating a sense of shared understanding that could not be ignored. Through humour, provocation, and honesty, Your Shit in Bed reframes personal pain as communal experience, allowing space for both release and reflection… and, perhaps, a moment of irreverent clarity.
Teija: Casting.
Rowse provided casting for fashion campaigns alongside garment photography for e-commerce and brand websites. Her approach combines a strong editorial eye with an understanding of brand identity, ensuring talent selection and imagery feel authentic, contemporary, and aligned with each project’s creative direction.
Through considered casting and detailed product-focused photography, she delivers visuals that present garments with clarity, character, and a refined sense of style across digital platforms.
Western Affair:
Rowse works as the in-house photographer and content creator for Poland-based hat and shoe designer Western Affair. In this role, she is responsible for producing cohesive visual content across campaigns, product launches, and digital platforms.
Her work combines detailed product photography with a strong sense of mood and storytelling, helping to shape and maintain the brand’s visual language. Through a close, ongoing collaboration, she translates the designer’s vision into imagery that feels distinctive, contemporary, and aligned with the brand’s identity.
AVGVST:
Rowse photographed, cast, and styled the 2023 collection, overseeing the project from concept through to execution. Bringing together imagery, talent, and styling, she created a cohesive visual narrative that reflects the collection’s identity and creative direction.
Anti Agency: Casting.
Throughout her career, Rowse has worked with a range of agencies across fashion and creative industries. Wherever possible, she prioritises casting Cornish models, reflecting a commitment to supporting local talent and community.
Alongside this, she has collaborated with international agencies, including working as an external casting scout and photographer for Anti Agency. This balance between local focus and global collaboration informs her casting approach, combining authenticity, diversity, and strong visual presence.
Publications:
BBC Spotlight: Photographer says she shows reality for young Cornish women.
Fran Rowse's photos are a world away from the picture-postcard image of Cornwall served up to tourists.
Instead of beach towel-toting holidaymakers, her vision is more gritty and, she says, realistic.
But there is also a message that runs like a stick of rock through her images, about female identity in the county.
Link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-67618351
VASW: 'Maids' By Fran Rowse.
The last of the guest curated exhibitions with Daisy Laing Gallery Opening Preview: 6 – 9pm, Thursday 30th March
“Fran Rowse is a 23 year old award winning photographer and curator, born and bred in Cornwall. Her fashion photography and documentary style offers a window into the lives and dreams of women and girls in the southwest Situated between photography, workshops, speaking and curating, her work confronts social constraints, feminism and new contemporary ideas of Cornish culture. After publishing her debut photobook 'Maids', she won Multiple awards and started to champion Cornwall in a wider context. Always inspired by her homeland, she works on commissions and long term projects with world wide designers and clients, as well as 'Maids'“.
Link: https://vasw.org.uk/whats-on/maids-by-fran-rowse
It’s Nice That: These Nostalgic Photos Celebrate The Girls Of Cornwall.
“Photographer Francesca Rowse redefines Cornish womanhood in her Y2K-inspired series
Inspired by her favourite icons of the 2000s, the Cornish photographer’s new series explores the themes of feminism, regional identity, and social care.”
Link: https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/francesca-rowse-maids-photography-260422
Refinery 29: These Nostalgic Photos Celebrate The Girls Of Cornwall.
Growing up in rural Cornwall, photographer Francesca Rowse often found herself questioning her place as a young woman. "It’s a very patriarchal county and a lot of importance is put on fishing and farming, which are two very male-dominated industries," she explains. "I didn’t know any women who fished or farmed and it was almost like men’s careers were the focus while women came second. My dad is a fisherman and as we got older my brother got swept up into it too, taking up the family business like so many other sons.
Link: https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/photos-young-cornish-women-y2k
