City of Candahar
1840
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1840
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
City of Candahar is a 1840 watercolor by James Atkinson, a Orientalism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This painting shows a desert scene with a mix of people and tents. In the foreground, a man tends to a camel while others stand nearby in colorful robes and turbans. The background has a distant city with domes and minarets, plus a rocky mountain. The sky is light with soft clouds, and the colors are warm—earthy browns, greens, and blues. The artist focused on daily life in a desert setting, blending people and nature. The tents and camel suggest travel or trade, while the distant city adds depth to the scene. Check out the Victoria and Albert Museum to see this painting in person.
A watercolour drawing titled *City of Candahar* was created by James Atkinson in 1840, depicting a scene from Afghanistan. The work is referenced in Atkinson’s 1842 publication *Sketches in Afghaunistan*, where a comparable view appears as plate 14.
Read the full account in the museum source.
James Atkinson was a British army surgeon who sketched the landscapes he saw on the way to Afghanistan in 1839.
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