An avid traveller and chronicler, Edwin Lord Weeks is renowned for his vivid depictions of life around the world, from Surinam to India. Born in Massachusetts and educated in Paris, Weeks studied under Léon Bonnat and Jean-Léon Gérôme before embarking on his trips to Asia and North Africa. The present studies are illustrative of the artist’s working method: Weeks would often paint outside and in situ, capturing his surroundings amidst the chaos of a busy market or town square with his paintbrush and a camera. Weeks’ attention to detail is evident in his careful rendering of architectural elements, even in preliminary works. Paintings by Weeks are held in illustrious collects ions around the United States, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C.