Engraving by Bernard Picart: The Marriage Ceremony of Canada

Meanwhile, a ceremony in a low room, with an audience seated round the edges

This engraving is from London, England, United Kingdom, and dates to the 18th century. It is ink on paper. Orientalism, a genre of art about the East, is generally traced to Napoleon's 1798 invasion of Egypt, which encouraged scholars and artists to visit and document North Africa and the Middle East. An unframed black and white scene of seated figures ringing a decorated floor mat, where two standing figures face each other. Heavy posts and a doorway frame the back. It is 7.75 inches wide and 4.8 high.

Everyone in the room has a front-row seat and knows it.