Thomas Allom (1804-72), like David Roberts and William H. Bartlett, was one of the great artists to travel to the Near East in the early 1800s. In 1837, Allom traveled for ten months through Constantinople, Bursa, and the Aegean region making his drawings. In April, 1838, Allom returned to England and spent the months of June and July preparing his work for publication. Rev. Robert Walsh (1772-1852) was commissioned to write the text to accompany Allom's drawings. Walsh had much experience in Turkey. In 1820, he accepted the position of Protestant chaplain in Constantinople. From 1821-24, he traveled extensively throughout Turkey, and in subsequent years published several volumes on Turkey, such as his two-volume, Residence at Constantinople during the Greek and Turkish Revolutions.