Edward Thomas Ainger Wigram

EDWARD THOMAS AINGER WIGRAM (ca.1864 - ca.1935).
"View of Castro Urdiales, Santander."
Watercolor on paper.
Work published in "Northern Spain", London, 1906.
Dated by monogram in the lower right corner. Located in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 17 x 24 cm; 33,5 x 38,5 cm (frame).
Sixth Baron de Wigram, Edgar T. Ainger Wigram wrote and illustrated the watercolor book "Northern Spain", in which the English artist describes his journey through the northern half of Spain, which covered from Talavera de la Reina to Asturias and from Cáceres to Pamplona. "Northern Spain" is part of the typology of travel books in which the authors describe their travels through the country, with special emphasis on the differences in customs with respect to their own, as well as the exoticism of the places visited. For these travelers, the Orient, Spain -considered as an echo of the Orient- and Italy were the most common destinations. Travel books are closely related to the Orientalist movement, also born during the 19th century, which led many artists to travel to the Orient to portray the beautiful odalisques and harems of African cities, due to the enormous interest they aroused in Europe. On this occasion Edgar T. Ainger captures a coastal scene with the city of Castro Urdiales in the background, showing us the squares, streets and people that inhabited this Cantabrian city during the 19th century.