Orientalism in art: The case of john frederick lewis

Surveying the concept of Orientalism in the nineteenth century, this chapter explores diverse views of Orientalist art: popular images of the “Orient” in French and British art; the circulation of Indian crafts in international exhibitions, museum collections, and paintings; myths of colonial art production displayed at world's fairs; and the trickle down of “Oriental” goods in everyday European domestic interiors and dress. These exchanges represented a flow of influence from the colonies to Britain and France, but also the unequal political and economic power between colonizer and colonized. Visual representation shaped imperial politics and public notions of race, gender, and an imaginary Orient that, however invented, guided oppressive imperial policies in many administrative directions.