By Francis Dodd, 1913

In the summer of 1913 Lawrence took Sheikh Hamoudi and Dahoum with him on a brief visit to England; both now ranked as headmen at Carchemish.

Lawrence was present at the sitting for this portrait: 'Dodd turned up smiling in the morning and got to work like a steam engine:– black and white, with little faint lines of colour running up and down in it. Number 1 was finished by midday, and was splendid: Dahoum sitting down, with his most-interested-possible expression . . . he thought it great sport – said he never knew he was so good-looking – and I think he was about right. He had dropped his sulkiness for a patch.’¹ Dodd made two further sketches. The first was discarded as a failure; the other no longer survives. This portrait was later hung in the living room of the expedition's house at Carchemish (see no. 68 iii).

It may have been through watching Dodd at work that Lawrence first became interested in portraiture, which was to become a lifelong fascination.

1. T. E. Lawrence to C. F. Bell, 12.8.1913.

Pencil and crayon, 36.8 x 26.7

Signed bl.: F Dodd/1913/[illegible Arabic inscription]

Provenance: Commissioned for T. E. Lawrence by C. F. Bell; given by A. W. Lawrence to Sidney Collard; given to him by present owner.