Morocco as a Winter Sketching Ground
fWt
_£923°d^.
material] for the pencil and brush, and pictures
abound on every hand. The native barber in his
quaint tent, the fruit and vegetable-sellers with
heaps of delicious and brilliantly-coloured produce,
the bread-sellers, sweetmeat vendors, snake-charmers
and story-tellers ; the numerous kinds of live stock
— fowls, turkeys, donkeys, horses, mules and
camels—and the wonderful variety of costume are
of the highest value as subjects for the artist. In
Tangier my wife and I felt the irritation of too
much that was European ; but this is one of the
instances apart from any other, where the artist
with his brush or pencil scores over the photo-
grapher. Discordant and disturbing European
notes are eliminated from the otherwise harmonious
Eastern picture, by the discerning eye and dis-
criminating hand of the wielder of the pencil.
However, Tangier was only a calling place for a
stay of a few hours : our destination was much
further down the coast, further from the influence
of Europe. On the way we called at Casablanca,
where the havoc caused by the French bombard-
ment was painfully evident in the heaps of ruins on
ItÿÆlO". E ■ Cs
every hand. Here the outward and visible signs
of the French occupation were soldiers at every
turn, purchasing supplies or on “sentry go” ; a
large military encampment outside the walls, and
a large war balloon. Some of the streets here
are very picturesque : but here again are many
Europeans.
The next port of call, Mazagan, is one of the
most interesting, and I shall live in hopes of
making a considerable stay here at .some future
date. This city has a most imposing fort and
massive walls, dominating a small harbour. Enter-
ing through the Waterport gate, the visitor finds
himself at once in the busy market place, situated
outside the walls of the city proper. Here are
subjects for many a picture.
Camels in large numbers, laden with all kinds
of produce, give a distinctive character to the groups
of busy merchants. A distinct falling off in the
numbers of Europeans is noticeable too, and this
is a decided advantage from an artistic standpoint.
The great gateway leading from this outer market
into the city is a most picturesque feature, with its
25
fWt
_£923°d^.
material] for the pencil and brush, and pictures
abound on every hand. The native barber in his
quaint tent, the fruit and vegetable-sellers with
heaps of delicious and brilliantly-coloured produce,
the bread-sellers, sweetmeat vendors, snake-charmers
and story-tellers ; the numerous kinds of live stock
— fowls, turkeys, donkeys, horses, mules and
camels—and the wonderful variety of costume are
of the highest value as subjects for the artist. In
Tangier my wife and I felt the irritation of too
much that was European ; but this is one of the
instances apart from any other, where the artist
with his brush or pencil scores over the photo-
grapher. Discordant and disturbing European
notes are eliminated from the otherwise harmonious
Eastern picture, by the discerning eye and dis-
criminating hand of the wielder of the pencil.
However, Tangier was only a calling place for a
stay of a few hours : our destination was much
further down the coast, further from the influence
of Europe. On the way we called at Casablanca,
where the havoc caused by the French bombard-
ment was painfully evident in the heaps of ruins on
ItÿÆlO". E ■ Cs
every hand. Here the outward and visible signs
of the French occupation were soldiers at every
turn, purchasing supplies or on “sentry go” ; a
large military encampment outside the walls, and
a large war balloon. Some of the streets here
are very picturesque : but here again are many
Europeans.
The next port of call, Mazagan, is one of the
most interesting, and I shall live in hopes of
making a considerable stay here at .some future
date. This city has a most imposing fort and
massive walls, dominating a small harbour. Enter-
ing through the Waterport gate, the visitor finds
himself at once in the busy market place, situated
outside the walls of the city proper. Here are
subjects for many a picture.
Camels in large numbers, laden with all kinds
of produce, give a distinctive character to the groups
of busy merchants. A distinct falling off in the
numbers of Europeans is noticeable too, and this
is a decided advantage from an artistic standpoint.
The great gateway leading from this outer market
into the city is a most picturesque feature, with its
25