Topographie of Thebes, and general view of Egypt: being a short account of the principal objects worthy of notice in the valley of the Nile, to the second cataracte and Wadi Samneh, with the Fyoom, Oases and eastern desert, from Sooez to Bertenice
John Gardner Wilkinson's 1835 travel account of Egypt, published for European readers interested in archaeology and travel, offers lithographic views of Egyptian monuments. The pictures show obelisks before a temple gateway, a tomb with a striped stone facade and minaret, the pyramids seen across desert from a rocky arch, and domed mosques with ornate minarets. A designer could take from them the warm sepia tonal range, strong vertical silhouettes of obelisks and minarets, and the finely hatched stonework that suggests weathered masonry.
