Jfl part 2

Wow, look at that meticulous detail!

You can't even see the brushstrokes—it's like a photo!

Bright and vivid colors

Illusion of space is convincing due to one-point perspective

Emily Weeks has studied this painting

The ethnographic details are right—clothes, furnishings, and room arrangement

The servant-lady relationship is accurate too

Gazelles were popular pets for richEgyptians, symbols of female beauty

HOWEVER, one major thing is wrong

This is the mandarah, a room exclusively for men

Lewis would have known this

Maybe he was testing his audience?

Or making a statement about treatment of women in the OttomanEmpire

England, France, and the Ottoman Empire all wanted North Africa

If you start in England and want to get to India, you have two options...

Sail around Africa

OR...

Sail to Egypt,walk on land a little,then sail to India

The British liked this option more, so they wanted control of Egypt.

Late 18th century (1700's)Napoleon tries to control Egypt,British forces force out the French

1805 Ottoman leader Muhammed Ali expels the British, leaving bad feelings

1840s (Lewis's time) Egypt-Britain relationship improved

1860s US Civil War means Britain needs new sources for cotton

Egypt becomes even more desirable

Basically, at this point Britain had 3 reasons for wanting Egypt:

Take it from the Ottomans who treat women poorlyTrade route to IndiaCotton

France also wants control

A French success! 1869 Suez Canal

Suez Canal = access to important trade routes

However, by the 1870s Britain became the largest shareholder of the Suez

But really, the Ottoman Empire still held Egypt until 1882

Ottoman debt and bankruptcy forced them to hand it to the British

Remember, this painting is from 1873

France had recently built the Suez Canal (When was that?)

The British were interested in Egypt, but they didn't control Egypt yet

Egypt was both far and near to Lewis's audiences