Hab.t de la Turquie, from the playing cards (for quartets) "Costumes des Peuples Étrangers" 18th century

This playing card, "Hab.t de la Turquie" from the "Costumes des Peuples Étrangers" series, was likely produced in Europe. It employs the printmaking technique of engraving, followed by hand-applied color. The image shows us not so much about Turkish fashion, but the European fashion for representing "the Orient" and for collecting images more generally. Printmaking allowed for the wide distribution of images at relatively low cost. This fueled the development of consumer culture and the commodification of visual representation. The lines of the engraving create the structure, and the hand-applied color animates the scene. This combination of mechanical reproduction and manual finishing is typical of early commercial printmaking, straddling the line between industrial production and artisanal labor. Ultimately, this seemingly simple playing card speaks volumes about the intersection of art, commerce, and cultural exchange in the early modern world, and the complicated role of visual imagery in shaping our understanding of the world.