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David Roberts was born in Stockbridge on October 24th
1796. His parents were poor, his father being a shoe maker. From an early
age, Roberts displayed a distinct artistic talent. Therefore, on the advice
of the director of the Trustees Academy at Edinburgh, the young boy was
apprenticed to a house-painter.
In 1823, aged 26, he moved to London where he worked for the Drury Lane
Theatre. In 1824, he exhibited his first picture for the British Institution,
a highly coveted gallery featuring only the finest works, in 1824. He would
also become a founding member of the new Society of British Artists.
The following year Roberts was elected an associate to the Royal Academy,
the usual step before being initiated as a full member into this most hallowed
circle of British artists.
In 1838, Roberts departed for his journey. Starting in Egypt, David Roberts
made a hundred sketches of the country. Next Roberts made preparations for
his excursion into the Holy Land. This would involve travelling by small
caravan through the Sinai desert. Along with respective hired servants,
twenty-one camels and nearly as many Arabs of the Beni Saids tribe, they
donned Arab dress and began the long trek to Palestine by way of Suez, Mount
Sinai and Petra.
Reaching Jerusalem, Roberts was lucky to ingratiate himself with the local
Turkish governor, whose permission gave Roberts liberty to sketch all the
sights he wished around the city as well as Bethany, Jericho, and Bethlehem.
Then Roberts went to Baalbec to sketch some of the best views of the building
and then to Alexandria. Roberts reached England in 1839.
Roberts sold exclusive rights to his sketches to Francis G. Moon. In 1842,
Moon produced "The Holy Land: Views in Palestine, Egypt and Syria,
from drawings made on the spot by David Roberts, R.A., with historical and
descriptive notes by the Rev. George Groly, LLD., Rector of St. Stephens's.
London.
The work required a team of woman artists carefully colouring each lithograph
that had been prepared by Louis Haghe, assisted by his brother Charles.
The entire set of 250 lithographs equally divided between the 'Holy Land
and Egypt' was completed in 1849, thus taking nearly eight years to produce.
David Roberts died on the 25th November, 1864. He is buried in Norwood Cemetery.
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