Emile PRISSE

Emile Prisse worked in Egypt, documenting the land and its inhabitants, for the Bibliotheque Nationale and the Louvre. He provided these institutions with a very rich documentation of pre-modern Egypt. He was also one of the first people to realise the importance of the preservation and protection of ancient artefacts and monuments. As well as being an able scholar, Prisse had considerable skills as a draughtsman, as the beautiful lithographs from The Oriental Album show. Prisse's original drawings have been redrawn onto stone by various artists, including James Madden. They contain imaginative renditions of different ethnic groups ranging from the Bedouin of Sinai to young Nubian women. An eccentric and often controversial figure, Prisse dressed as a sheikh and and adopted the name of Edris Effendi. For a time he lived in rooms at the rear of the Temple of Karnak in Luxor and spent his days touring the oases and Nile Valley.

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