Jewish Musician in Mogador Costume, Morocco, from "Le Magasin Pittoresque"

Jewish Musician in Mogador Costume, Morocco, from "Le Magasin Pittoresque" is a compelling print created by Eugène Delacroix in 1842. Though celebrated primarily for his Romantic paintings, Delacroix also engaged extensively with printmaking. This specific work is executed as a wood engraving on newsprint, identified as the second state, demonstrating the artist’s adaptation of his vision to reproductive media. The image was originally published in the French illustrated periodical Le Magasin Pittoresque, allowing Delacroix’s travel observations from North Africa to reach a wide, popular audience throughout Europe.

The subject depicts a male musician dressed in the distinct traditional costume associated with Mogador (now Essaouira), a major port city in Morocco. The figure is shown seated, often holding or resting near a traditional musical instrument, capturing a moment of quiet reflection characteristic of Delacroix’s ethnographic studies. Delacroix’s enduring interest in North Africa stemmed from his pivotal 1832 trip, which profoundly influenced the trajectory of his entire oeuvre. Works like this engraving served to disseminate the visual culture and perceived exoticism of the region to European readers eager for representations of the Orient.

As a key example of 19th-century magazine illustration and a significant print within Delacroix’s graphic output, this piece provides valuable insight into the intersection of art, reportage, and popular media. The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds this specific impression, preserving its status as both a historical document and an important study focusing on Moroccan men and costume. Thanks to its age and stature, high-quality prints and photographic reproductions of this work are often available through public domain collections, further extending access to Delacroix's influential depictions of Moroccan life.