Market Day Outside the Walls of Tangiers, Morocco

About this artwork

In 1867 Mark Twain traveled to the Holy Land and chronicled his adventures first in a series of newspaper articles and, in 1869, in book form as Innocents Abroad. His trip and his travelogue incited a wave of interest in visiting the Middle East. Of Morocco, Twain wrote: "We wanted something thoroughly and uncompromisingly foreign --foreign from top to bottom --foreign from center to circumference --foreign inside and outside and all around --nothing anywhere about it to dilute its foreignness -...

Art Historical Context

Louis Comfort Tiffany created *Market Day Outside the Walls of Tangiers, Morocco* in 1873, during a period of growing American fascination with North Africa and the Middle East. Mark Twain’s popular 1869 travelogue *Innocents Abroad* had recently sparked widespread interest in the region, describing Tangier as a place “thoroughly and uncompromisingly foreign.” Tiffany, then an emerging painter before his later fame in stained glass and Art Nouveau design, captured this allure through a lively outdoor scene featuring a bustling market, city walls, and a diverse group of figures. The painting r...