Hindu Merchants

Edwin Lord Weeks, Hindu Merchants, ca. 1885, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Emily Tuckerman, 1924.7.1
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
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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
Subjects
  • Architecture Exterior — commercial — market
  • Hindu
  • Occupation — vendor
  • Animal — horse
  • Animal — dog
  • Figure group — male
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. 

Works by this artist (13 items)

View all artworks
John James Audubon, Joseph Bartholomew Kidd, Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, n.d., oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U. S. National Museum, 1953.3.4
Rose-Breasted Grosbeak
Artist
Daten.d.
oil on canvas
On view
John James Audubon, Washington Sea Eagle, ca. 1836-1839, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Dr. S. Dillon Ripley II and Mary Livingston Ripley, 1994.121
Washington Sea Eagle
Artist
Dateca. 1836-1839
oil on canvas
On view
Image Not Available
Norwegian Rats
Artist
Date1845
hand-colored lithograph on paper
Not on view
John James Audubon, Julius Bien, Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, 1860, chromolithograph on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the National Museum of Natural History, Division of Birds, Smithsonian Institution, 1975.20.2
Rose-Breasted Grosbeak
Artist
Date1860
chromolithograph on paper
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

Browse All Artworks
Elihu Vedder, (Illustration for Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám) Omar's Tomb, 1883-1884, chalk, pencil, ink and watercolor on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase and gift from Elizabeth W. Henderson in memory of her husband Francis Tracy Henderson, 1978.108.49
(Illustration for Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám) Omar’s Tomb
Artist
Date1883-1884
chalk, pencil, ink and watercolor on paper
Not on view
John James Audubon, Cardinal Grosbeak, 1811, chalk, pencil, watercolor and ink on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U. S. National Museum, 1953.3.1
Cardinal Grosbeak
Artist
Date1811
chalk, pencil, watercolor and ink on paper
Not on view
Elihu Vedder, (Illustration for Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám) Omar's Horoscope, 1883-1884, chalk, pencil, watercolor and ink on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase and gift from Elizabeth W. Henderson in memory of her husband Francis Tracy Henderson, 1978.108.19
(Illustration for Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám) Omar’s Horoscope
Artist
Date1883-1884
chalk, pencil, watercolor and ink on paper
Not on view
Elihu Vedder, (Illustration for Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám) Death's Review, 1883, chalk, pencil, ink and watercolor on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase and gift from Elizabeth W. Henderson in memory of her husband Francis Tracy Henderson, 1978.108.27
(Illustration for Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám) Death’s Review
Artist
Date1883
chalk, pencil, ink and watercolor on paper
Not on view