
John Frederick Lewis
by Sir William Boxall
John Frederick Lewis (1804-1876) was an orientalist painter who worked mainly in oil and watercolors. He briefly lived in Cairo and created many Middle Eastern genre paintings which included cats. The son of an engraver and landscape painter, John Frederick Lewis was involved in art from an early age. He studied art with Edwin Landseer (1802-1873) who was known as an animal artist. Perhaps Lewis was influenced by Landseer and added cats to his works, but it is sure that there were always cats who could not be ignored hanging around his lodgings in Cairo and other Middle Eastern cities.

The Arab Scribe
1852
Watercolor on paper

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