Artwork
A Lady of Cairo Visiting
A Lady of Cairo Visiting is an ink print by the Impressionist artist James David Smillie. It dates from 1881 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
James David Smill’s 1881 print, titled A Lady of Cairo Visiting, is an etching executed in black on laid paper. The work presents a dim interior space defined by rough stone walls and a solid wooden door, populated by a robed woman, a child, and two domesticated animals.
Subject & Meaning
The composition depicts a woman in a patterned, long robe holding a basket, accompanied by a cow and a donkey, while a child sits on the floor. The arrangement suggests a moment of daily activity or a brief encounter within a modest household, evoking the rhythms of everyday life in a Cairo setting.
Technique & Style
Smillie employed fine, incised lines on a metal plate to achieve deep shadows and intricate surface patterns, giving the scene a sense of depth and texture. The use of chiaroscuro through line work, typical of late‑19th‑century etching, renders the stone walls, fabric folds, and animal forms with a near‑three‑dimensional quality.
Context
Created during a period when Western artists were increasingly interested in Oriental subjects, the print reflects contemporary fascination with North African domestic interiors. While the work is a print rather than a painted canvas, its detailed rendering aligns with the realist tendencies of the era, emphasizing observation over idealization.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
James David Smillie was an American artist, cofounder of the American Watercolor Society and New York Etching Club. His brother was painter George Henry Smillie.
