Fruit Seller of Alexandria; and Children of the Copt Quarters

Following two trips to Egypt in 1858 and 1870 Frederick Goodall became fascinated by the exotic life of the Orient: ‘I could not refrain from exclaiming aloud at the different scenes that met my eye – “How beautiful!” “How wonderful!” “How gloriously picturesque!” “What colour!” “What costumes!” “What character!”’ (F. Goodall, The Reminiscences of Frederick Goodall, R.A., London, 1902, p. 67). He lived in the Coptic quarter of Cairo with Carl Haag and made rapid sketches of the crowded streets. He also went on expeditions to Giza to draw the Nile, the Sphinx and Pyramids, and to Suez and across the Red Sea to the Wells of Moses. In search of an authentic experience, Goodall travelled and camped with Bedouins.