F.e d l'Isle Sandwick from playing cards "Jeu d'Or" 18th century

This playing card, "F.e d l'Isle Sandwick from playing cards 'Jeu d'Or'," was made in France and forms part of a series that sought to connect the game of chance with contemporary global realities. Here, the image is of a native of the Sandwich Islands, now known as Hawaii. It presents a stylized and romanticized view of indigenous people. The card reflects the late 18th-century European fascination with newly encountered cultures during the age of exploration and colonialism. The figure's exotic dress and the surrounding flora signify the West's perception of the islands as a distant paradise, ripe for exploitation. Such images reveal the power dynamics between colonizers and the colonized. They underscore the role of visual culture in shaping public perceptions and justifying political and economic agendas. Delving into travelogues, colonial archives, and anthropological studies of the period helps us to understand this imagery. After all, art is a product of its time and place.