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A gathering around the Morning News, Cairo signed and dated 'L. Deutsch Caire 1885' (upper right) oil on panel 123/4 x 91/2 in. (32.4 x 24.2 cm.) Painted in 1885 NOTES Painted two years after Deutsch's first trip to Egypt in 1883, A gathering around the Morning News, Cairo is typical of the artist's work from his most productive period. In 1885 Deutsch took a new Paris studio in 11 rue Navarin which he kept until 1905. The paintings from this period are some of the artist's most meticulously executed and show his keen interest in the accurate depiction of Eastern life. Preferring to paint his major compositions in his studio, Deutsch used the many sketches he made on his trips to Cairo for inspiration, and in common with his friend Ernst, also took advantage of the vogue for photography to perfect ethnographical details. The scene depicts men leisurely passing time reading and discussing the news and conveys a more relaxed impression of life, far removed from the realities of industrial France. The gathering takes place outside a traditional Egyptian suk or marketplace, a popular subject for the Orientalist painters of the time. Beyond the ornately carved entrance, the stalls of the suk can just be seen in the cool darkness beyond, lit only by shafts of light from the pierced roof above. One of the merchants, holding items of Islamic metalwear, has emerged to join the morning gossip.