Hindu Merchants

Edwin Lord Weeks, Hindu Merchants, ca. 1885, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Emily Tuckerman, 1924.7.1
Copied Edwin Lord Weeks, Hindu Merchants, ca. 1885, oil on canvas, 28 3⁄8 x 22 7⁄8 in. (72.2 x 58.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Emily Tuckerman, 1924.7.1
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Hindu Merchants
Artist
Date
ca. 1885
Location
Dimensions
28 3⁄8 x 22 7⁄8 in. (72.2 x 58.0 cm)
Credit Line
Bequest of Emily Tuckerman
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Keywords
  • Figure group — male
  • Animal — dog
  • Animal — horse
  • Occupation — vendor
  • Hindu
  • Architecture Exterior — commercial — market
Object Number
1924.7.1
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1924.7.1

Artwork Description

Edwin Lord Weeks traveled to India in 1883, following many years of travel throughout North Africa. A photographer as well as a painter, he wrote in his letters that he wandered the streets by day and developed his photographs at night. He reveled in the local culture, paying particular attention to the details of dress and customs. He was less interested in royalty than in the everyday lives of people he encountered in the streets.  Weeks relied on his photographs to supply the rich details of Indian architecture: elaborately carved cornices and arches filled with polychromed geometric and floral designs speak to the visual sophistication of Indian civilization. The lasting impact of his paintings was to bring alive a culture with which most of his American patrons were unfamiliar.