The coffee shop. 1846 - 1849

This is a print by David Roberts titled "The coffee shop.” While there is no date recorded for the artwork, we know that Roberts, a Scottish Orientalist, travelled extensively in the Middle East during his career in the 1830s and 40s. This image is fascinating because it depicts a very particular kind of social space. The coffee shop, much like the tavern in Europe, or the public house in England, was a place where men, and occasionally women, could gather to exchange news, discuss politics, and enjoy the pleasures of conversation. Roberts’ image participates in, and also documents, a rich tradition of representing social life in the Middle East for a European audience. This artistic tradition was often rooted in the social and political conditions of colonialism. In order to understand this image better, we can look at popular press publications, travelogues, and colonial archives from the same period. The meaning of artworks such as this are contingent on their social and institutional context, as revealed by the resources of social history.