Maharana of Oudeypoor, India, from the Savage and Semi-Barbarous Chiefs and Rulers series (N189) issued by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. 1888

This chromolithograph trading card portraying the "Maharana of Oudeypoor, India" was produced by Wm. S. Kimball & Co. The subject's figure dominates the frame, with the artist placing emphasis on the man's ornate turban, pearl necklace, and jeweled brooch. The Maharana is shown in profile, his gaze directed beyond the edge of the card. The use of color is striking, with the bright yellow of his tunic contrasting against the cooler tones of his turban. What's particularly interesting is the card's inclusion in a series titled "Savage and Semi-Barbarous Chiefs and Rulers." The visual depiction, rendered through the lens of Western artistic conventions, engages with orientalist themes and the representation of non-Western cultures. The card functions as a signifier, conveying not only the Maharana's likeness but also Western cultural codes and assumptions about civilization and power. The formal elements of color and composition serve to highlight these underlying cultural and philosophical discourses at play.