During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, following Napoleon’s conquest of Europe and the opening of overland trade routes to India for foreigners (then countries hardly visited by Westerners), artists and archaeologists from Britain and France in particular were drawn to the region. Following the example of so many British artists before him, David Roberts (1796–1864) regularly travelled in Europe in search of new subjects. But unlike most of his contemporaries, he travelled extensively in the Middle East and North Africa, under conditions that at the time were often arduous, dangerous, and potentially injurious to the health of a northern European.

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