Colour lithograph
128 x 90 cm
1919
‘Orientalism’ refers to the sustained activities of European and North American voyagers, thinkers, and artists to map out and define an imagined vision of ‘The East’. French art had long played a role in this through the promotion of a fantasy vision of the exotic woman engaged in apparently illicit and sensuous activities. Cigarette brands were quick to use the association of luxury and indulgence to their advantage, as suggested here by the lone, elegantly clad woman sitting in a harem-type space with a cigarette in hand.