Lot Essay
William Simpson was an illustrator and reporter on contemporary events for The Illustrated London News.
In 1868 he was sent by them to follow the Prince and Princess of Wales' visit to Egypt. With time on his hands, he took the opportunity to travel on to Jerusalem where he met with Captain Charles Warren who was conducting excavations for the Palestinian Exploration fund. Simpson undertook a series of sketches of Underground Jerusalem (of which forty were exhibited at the Pall Mall Gallery in 1872). In 1868 he was granted permission to sketch inside the Dome of the Rock which struck him 'as one of the most awe inspiring and solemn places he ever visited'. (The Fine Art Society, exhibition catalogue, William Simpson, 1987)
In 1868 he was sent by them to follow the Prince and Princess of Wales' visit to Egypt. With time on his hands, he took the opportunity to travel on to Jerusalem where he met with Captain Charles Warren who was conducting excavations for the Palestinian Exploration fund. Simpson undertook a series of sketches of Underground Jerusalem (of which forty were exhibited at the Pall Mall Gallery in 1872). In 1868 he was granted permission to sketch inside the Dome of the Rock which struck him 'as one of the most awe inspiring and solemn places he ever visited'. (The Fine Art Society, exhibition catalogue, William Simpson, 1987)