William James Müller

Street in a Near Eastern Town

1838

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In Tate Britain

Prints and Drawings Room

View by appointment

Artist: William James Müller 1812–1845
Medium: Graphite and watercolour on paper
Dimensions: Support: 247 × 145 mm
Collection: Tate
Acquisition: Presented by Lady Weston as part of the Sir Joseph Weston Gift 1908
Reference: N02352

Display caption

Müller was one of the first British artists to go to Egypt, travelling there in 1838–9. He wrote that ‘of all the spots I had ever seen for the artist’ this sort of street scene ‘would prove the most fertile for his pencil’.

The Islamic world had long fascinated Western audiences, though they had generally been satisfied with recycled fantasies. Müller’s sketch represents a new, eye-witness approach. By the late 1830s biblical archaeology, and an escalation of European diplomatic and military activity in the area, fuelled demand for more convincing documentary images of the Middle East.

Gallery label, September 2004

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