L'Amerique from playing cards "Jeu d'Or" 18th century

Curator: Here we have “L'Amerique from playing cards "Jeu d'Or", an 18th-century engraving, currently held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection. This print allegorically depicts the American continent as one of the suits in a deck of cards. Editor: Immediately striking is the almost comical dissonance between the classical figure and the alligator at its feet. It is really intriguing, though maybe lacking a sophisticated hand. Curator: The figure's pose is quite telling, though. He holds an arrow pointed downward, possibly a gesture of surrender or untapped potential. These decks were, in a sense, miniature encyclopedias reflecting contemporary understanding—or rather, misunderstanding—of the world. The alligator at his feet and his laurel wreath hair imply that these suits might show how Americans conceived of themselves. The writing prompts an audience to see an America as having strong sentiments about nature. Editor: From a purely compositional point of view, there is a sense of stasis—the flatness of the colour and the pose of the figure almost resisting depth. The lines around the figure are thick and heavy, the space between figures is so clear. Curator: Well, remember that printing technology was more limited back then, so the engraving is quite sophisticated for its time. But I agree. The stiffness also points to how the European society that created this piece actually perceived the Americans, as opposed to reality, and perhaps sought to subtly manipulate that reality for European benefit. Editor: Absolutely. I see that too. I feel the medium, a printed card game piece, really makes that sense of manipulation that much more prevalent in how this representation can easily circulate among people. Curator: Right, the playful presentation really made these ideas so powerful in everyday cultural life and visual understanding. This simple little card serves as a reminder of the visual culture of that era and its biases. Editor: I find that, even with its problems, it has its own charm in its composition and the strange mix of colour. A crude mirror, but revealing all the same.