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.