Frederick Arthur Bridgman

Purchased by the family of the present owner in Australia circa 1935; thence by descent

St. Louis, Louisiana Purchase Exhibition, 1904 (as Caballeros en Plaza)

Original canvas. There are no visible signs of retouching under UV light. Apart from a few very minor pinhead-sized losses along the extreme upper edge, some light surface dirt, and a slightly yellowed varnish, overall this work is in very good original condition and the colours would transform with a light surface clean. This work is sold unframed, and is presented in a Paul Mitchell loaner frame, which is available for separate purchase.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Ever since his first visit to North Africa in 1872, Algiers captivated Bridgman's imagination, and became his favourite destination during his travels in the region. During the 1880s he even put up his wife and family in the Hôtel de l'Orient in the Mustapha Supérieur quarter, and hired a guide, Belkassem, to find him an entrée into private houses in which, and from which, to watch and paint daily life. From Algiers he wrote home: 'Here we have all the advantages of civilisation with quite enough in the picture line for anybody.'

Bridgman received his training in the studio of the French academic and Orientalist painter Jean-Léon Gérôme. However, his later works such as the present display a freer technique, featuring more light and intense colour. In 1899 a critic wrote: 'Mr. Bridgman now paints with a freer, juicier brush than he used some years ago, he has got almost entirely away from Gérôme, his is no longer photographic, his colour [...] is often more ingeniously applied, and like so many of his fellows he is aiming for decorative effect' ('Gallery and Studio: Frederick A. Bridgman's Recent Pictures', Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 22 January 1899, p. 28, quoted in Ilene Susan Fort, Frederick Arthur Bridgman and the American Fascination with the Exotic Near East, vols. I and II, Ph.D. diss., City University of New York, 1990, p. 429).