Resting Camels and Figures
An exhibition of oil paintings and watercolours by Lady Caroline Gray-Hill of the Near East in the late 1800s is on display at the Victoria Gallery & Museum (VG&M).
Lady Caroline Emily Gray-Hill (1843 – 1924) accompanied her husband, John Gray-Hill, solicitor with local law firm Hill Dickinson, on his trips to Syria, painting as they travelled. They were both fascinated by the landscape and the people they met on their travels. Gray-Hill’s pictures depict places from modern Turkey in the North to Jordan in the South.
Moira Lindsay, Curator, said: “Lady Caroline’s pictures are timeless romantic views of the desert; expanses of land and water beneath golden and crimson skies. Her art almost harks back to a historical European idea of the Near East.”
Travelling across this region in the late 1800s was fraught with danger and Gray-Hill experienced kidnap, ransom and arrest whilst painting the landscape.
Desert Impressions: Journeys of a Victorian Lady runs until 3 September. Admission to all galleries and exhibitions at the VG&M is free and the building is open Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm.
Detail of Mountains of Moab Dead Sea Wilderness from Mt Scopus