These prints are included in the RGSSA 100 Treasures because they are an especially fine edition of some of the earliest prints of the Middle East published in Victorian England.
They depict the Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, and Arabia, from drawings made on the spot by David Roberts R A with historical descriptions by Rev George Croly LLD, lithographed by Louis Haghe, published by F G Moon 1842-1846. Consisting of 123 coloured lithographs printed on India paper mounted on card and unbound they were originally issued in 20 parts. These are the Royal Subscription Edition folio prints known "RSE" prints and are hand coloured.
By 1838 Egypt was in vogue in Britain. Roberts travelled in August of that year - he journeyed first down the Nile in Egypt and Nubia for two and a half months, reaching as far south as Abu Simbel. He went on then to Sinai, the Holy Land, Jordan and Lebanon, returning eventually to Britain after nearly after nearly a year in the region with a vast collection of drawings.
David Roberts was born in 1796 - just before Napoleon's Battle of the Nile campaign. He was apprenticed to a house painter and decorator, did theatre scenery painting, eventually becoming a professional painter in fine arts.
