In common with many other Scottish Burghs, Haddington High Street conforms to a rig system. A terrace of tenements containing flats and shops faces onto the street with long narrow gardens behind.

This watercolour painting depicts the south side of Haddington High Street. Notice the names of some of the shops and the cobbled road.

Dorothea Nimmo Smith was born in Haddington in January 1889 and died in June 1962. A keen amateur artist, she produced many paintings and sketches depicting scenes from everyday life in Haddington. During the 1970s, the East Lothian Antiquarian and Field Naturalists' Society mounted two exhibitions of Nimmo Smith's work. Many of her paintings were then entrusted to the care of East Lothian's Museum service.