Middle East Costumes, Egypt 14 - 1878

Lockwood de Forest made this small oil on board sketch in Egypt in 1873. The artist depicted a variety of figures in local dress with loose brushstrokes. De Forest was one of the first American artists to bring the aesthetic of the Aesthetic Movement into interiors. After becoming involved in the design firm Associated Artists with Candace Wheeler and Louis Comfort Tiffany, he began importing decorative woodwork from India. The import of handcrafted objects that took a great deal of labor to produce, catered to wealthy clients who had developed a taste for exoticism. This sketch, painted during his travels, seems at first glance merely an exercise. But de Forest’s perspective as a designer of interiors encourages us to imagine the figures arrayed here as aesthetic material, arranged for visual consumption. They are indeed costumes, in the sense of performed identities, bought and sold within a global economy. It prompts questions about authenticity, cultural exchange, and the marketplace.