Orientalist Art

My office is really spartan. But, today I hung up a small picture. The book I got on European explorers in Arabia has a lot of good reproductions of fascinating Orientalist paintings. In particular it has a lot by David Roberts. One of which I especially like. I photocopied it and hung it on my office wall above my computer desk. It is called the "The Letter Writer." It shows a bearded man clad in a red robe and green turban writing something. Sitting to his side is a woman wearing a veil. Behind the man is a very cool looking narghile. According to the picture's caption illiterate people would come to the letter writer both to dictate letters and have letters read to them. For some reason I feel an affinity with the letter writer.