CC0 · no rights reserved
Algerian Water Carrier
From the collection of Smithsonian American Art Museum. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
William Sartain lived in Algiers for several months in 1874. He immersed himself in Arab culture, eating the food, studying the language, exploring the countryside, and even wearing native clothing. His sketches of the countryside, architecture, and local people became the basis for many images he painted later in America. This piece shows an alleyway with a man carrying a jug of water and a large bowl. The painting is typical of Sartain’s work, which showed intimate scenes of everyday life rather than dramatic monuments or panoramas.
Smithsonian American Art Museum’s own descriptionSubjects
Credit lineAlgerian Water Carrier. after 1874. William Sartain, born Philadelphia, PA 1843-died New York City 1924. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of William T. Evans. CC0.
