At the Frye: Napoleon on the Nile
A current exhibit at the Frye Museum, Napoleon on the Nile, allows us a glimpse at the Middle East through the eyes of savants who traveled with Napoleon during his 1798 invasion of Egypt.
Writers, philosophers, geographers, map makers, and artists, all provided written details of the journey, along with glimpses into every day life. These works are represented in this exhibit through a number of plates from the Description de l’Egypte (a compendium from the early 1800’s), Orientalist paintings, a selection of campaign letters and documents, and even some early political humor.
The exhibit was, at times, a little dry. Wile this is not a particularly interesting era to me, from either an art or history point of view, I still found it fascinating. And it served as an awakening that people were “embedded” during war long before current times.
Location: 704 Terry Avenue, Capitol Hill (map it)
Date & Time: Through January 4th, 2009. 10 am – 5 pm, Tuesday-Saturday (open till 8 pm on Thursday); noon – 5 pm, Sunday.
Admission: FREE
Allow a half hour or so to browse the exhibit, longer if this type of art is of particular fascination to you. It would make a great lunch break activity, grab a bite to eat at the cafe (with wonderful food), and enjoy the art.
Image credit: personal collection
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