Fromentin had his first contact with Algeria before he was thirty years old, more than a decade after the French occupation of the country had begun. He completed his observation of the light, the scenery of the country and the population during his third visit in 1852. Leaving his wife at Blida City, situated close to Algiers, Fromentin headed to the south to Laghouat, the first oasis at the edge of the great desert, in June 1853. The oasis had been taken over by French troops just six months earlier. He returned with a rich portfolio of sketched, studies and watercolours, which allowed him to produce many large oil paintings in his studio.
Fromentin had his first contact with Algeria before he was thirty years old, more than a decade after the French occupation of the country had begun. He completed his observation of the light, the scenery of the country and the population during his third visit in 1852. Leaving his wife at Blida City, situated close to Algiers, Fromentin headed to the south to Laghouat, the first oasis at the edge of the great desert, in June 1853. The oasis had been taken over by French troops just six months earlier. He returned with a rich portfolio of sketched, studies and watercolours, which allowed him to produce many large oil paintings in his studio.