Walter Charles Horsely - the French and the British

Continuing my late-night exploration of orientalist painters - at the end of the day its nice to sit back and look at pictures rather than text. Here are two very interesting images from Walter Charles Horsely, a very popular orientalist painter in his day. These two paintings contrast views of the French and the English in Egypt. Both are deliciously ambiguous images. Have a close look at all the figures and what they are doing. On a light note, Horsely seems to think it is the French - rather than mad dogs and Englishmen - who go out in the noon-day sun. The British here are enjoying the shade, very sensibly. The French are unruly and out in the heat of the day. There is much more to say on this interesting contrast of two types of colonialism - I'II add further comments at a later time. 

The British

The French