Frederick Goodall, R.A. (1822-1904)

Son of the painter Edward Goodall (1794-1870), Frederick Goodall was taught by his father and first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1838. His earliest subjects were rural genre scenes and landscapes, many derived from sketching trips made between 1838 and 1857 in Normandy, Brittany, Wales, Ireland, Scotland and Venice. More significant to the present watercolour was his visit to Egypt from September 1858 to April 1859. He lived in the Coptic quarter of Cairo and made rapid sketches of the crowded streets. He also went on expeditions to Giza to draw the Nile, the Sphinx and Pyramids, and to Suez and across the Red Sea to the Wells of Moses at 'Uyûn Mûsa. In 1864 Goodall was elected to become a member of the Royal Academy. Much of the rest of his long career was devoted to painting similar scenes of Egyptian life.