[Reclining Odalisque] 1858

Roger Fenton captured this image, Reclining Odalisque, with photography, a relatively new medium at the time. The scene evokes the Orient through the pose of the reclining woman. The odalisque, or the Turkish word for a female slave, was a popular subject in Western art that conjured fantasies of Eastern harems. The woman is adorned with Middle Eastern garments and jewelry; these are orientalist symbols that create an allure of exoticism. We find this posture echoed throughout art history, from Titian's Venus of Urbino to Manet's Olympia, each iteration carrying its own weight of societal expectations and desires. The visual language of repose invites the viewer into a narrative of leisure and sensuality, yet it’s loaded with complex power dynamics. It's a projection screen of cultural fantasies. The odalisque is a complex figure, embodying both allure and subjugation. This image is an echo of how history is not a linear progression, but cyclical, with symbols constantly resurfacing, evolving, and being imbued with new meaning.