When Knighton-Hammond moved to Italy in 1922 he was keen to travel around as much as possible seeking new subjects. From Sicily he made a trip across the Mediterranean Sea to Tunis. He was interested in the hustle and bustle of the street markets. One evening he set himself up to paint the ‘Carpet Sellers’. The shop was housed in an arched structure with light spilling out from the open frontage. The colourful carpets were on full view. The Arab sellers are at the entrance awaiting customers and were probably intrigued by the artist painting them. The lighting effects make for a very moody picture.