Paintings illustrating exotic interiors became more frequent in the 19th century. British architects studied architecture outside Europe as they searched for ideas for a new building style. These traditional forms were also threatened with obliteration by `the march of progress' and drawings had to be made to record them before they were destroyed.

This painting represents the `mandarah' or principal reception room in the `Bayt' or house of Radwan Bay in Cairo. This fine house fortunately still exists, and is one of several structures built by Radwan Bay in the 17th century around the Sharia al-Khiyyamiyyah, near the Bab Zuwaylah. In his desire to preserve the exotic domestic architecture of Cairo, particularly the interiors, Dillon painted accurate pictures of them as a record and as a kind of advertisement for his campaign. He included their inhabitants in appropriate costume, to give scale and to make them more appealing.

Frank Dillon (1823-1909) was part of the circle that had surrounded Owen Jones. Like many of those design reformers he wished to encourage interest in the decorative art and architecture of other cultures. He was actively concerned with efforts to preserve the Islamic monuments of Cairo. He also travelled in Portugal, Spain and Morocco, as well in Japan where he studied and painted traditional Japanese interiors.