Sumatra, from the Dancing Girls of the World series (N185) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. 1889

This small lithograph from the late 19th century was one of a series of collectible cards issued by the American tobacco company, W.S. Kimball. The series, entitled "Dancing Girls of the World," presents a romantic, and largely imagined, vision of global cultures for mass consumption. The card depicts a woman identified as being from Sumatra, now part of Indonesia. Yet, her costume seems a pastiche of orientalist tropes rather than an accurate depiction of Sumatran dance. Consider the context: this image was created during a period of intense Western colonialism, when European and American companies were expanding their reach into Asia. The card reflects a fascination with the ‘exotic’ Other. By examining sources such as travelogues, ethnographic studies, and world’s fair ephemera from the period, we can better understand how these images were produced and consumed. This helps us interpret these cards not as accurate representations, but as cultural artifacts that reveal the power dynamics of their time.