The Seraglio (Aubry de La Mottraye, Travels throughout Europe, Asia and into Part of Africa..., London, 1724, vol. I, pl. 18) 1723 - 1724

This etching, The Seraglio, was created by William Hogarth and published in London in 1724. The image purports to depict a scene from within a Turkish harem, a space of both fantasy and fear for Westerners during the 18th century. Hogarth never visited Turkey. Instead, he based this print on an illustration in Aubry de La Mottraye's popular travelogue. Consider how the scene reflects European colonial perspectives on the East. The figures, rendered with a mix of curiosity and exoticism, embody prevailing stereotypes about sexuality and power. There is an emphasis on leisure and sensual indulgence. The composition itself, with its geometric precision, seems to impose a sense of order onto a space imagined as ‘other.’ One might ask what cultural anxieties are being projected onto this scene. Hogarth’s work invites us to reflect on the historical gaze and the complex dynamics of cultural representation. It asks us to examine how we construct our understanding of different cultures.