Chess players

Bridgeman had built the basis for his artistic knowledge in America as an engraver to the American Banknote Company, and through evening classes at the Brooklyn Art Association. He left to study in Paris in 1866, where he worked in Gérome's studio at the École des Beaux-Arts. In 1872 he departed to North Africa and Egypt, where he settled for five years, captivated by Orientalist subjects. It was during these years that his palette become much lighter, as can be seen in the costume of the figures.
Bridgman displays his subjects deep in concentration, a silent thought which is amplified by the focused composition: light falls only on his subjects, framed by the quiet room, and the contrasting hustle and bustle of the busy street outside to the right of the canvas. Golden flowing silks of the figures' costume contrast with the jagged lines of the wooden crates which form a makeshift seat. The female player takes the prominent role in this work, consistent with the way Bridgman was being predominantly known to ‘explore an area hidden from most Orientalists; the domestic life of women of North Africa’ (G. Ackerman, American Orientalists, Paris, 1994, p.20).