Sir William Gell was an
important archæologist
involved in excavating Pompeii
in the 1820s. Gell's work
illustrated the progress of
the excavation of Pompeii with
detailed plans and views of
streets and houses.
Gell lived in Italy from 1820
and having obtained special
permits for visiting the
ongoing excavations at all
hours was uniquely able to
study the excavation process,
make sketches with the help of
his Camera Lucida and publish
the results without much
delay. His sketches were
turned into wonderfully
detailed engraved prints.
Written when Greece and even
Italy were comparatively
little known to English
travellers and classical
students, his works were for
some time regarded as standard
treatises, and much of the
information they contain is
still of value to the
topographer and archæologist.
