Army Quarters, Pissouri

Donisthorpe Donne was district officer in Limassol from 1880 to 1882. He was the person who decided and designed the costumes of the Pioneer Regiment. He was based in Limassol but travelled all over the island and enjoyed illustrating the country and its people. In 1880, Lieutenant Kitchener was working in the mixed village of Pissouri when he was shot at. Donne left Limassol in pursuit of the culprits. He based himself at Pissouri during some days of the hunt. The watercolour presents the interior of a courtyard, under a matted roof and covered with flagstones where women carry on with their chores. One is washing, another is tending to a child and, in the far corner, a member of the Pioneer Regiment, leaning against the wall, is observing them. A view of the village manifests itself through the two Cypriot-style arches. The houses have flat roofs as those in the plains and by the sea. The attention of the viewer is drawn to a dome construction surrounded by a tall wall with a tall entrance. Large pieces of timber are piled against the wall. Further on the left, a ladder lies on the ground. The domed construction could either be a kiln used for pottery or a Turkish bath.