Two Dromedaries (Aubry de La Mottraye's "Travels throughout Europe, Asia and into Part of Africa...," London, 1724, plate 314) 1723 - 1724

This etching by William Hogarth, made in London in 1724, illustrates Aubry de La Mottraye's travel accounts through Europe, Asia, and Africa. Hogarth gives us a glimpse into the cultural imagination of the 18th century. Consider the context: England, a rising empire, is hungry for knowledge about the wider world. The image exoticizes the 'Turks' and 'Tartars', reducing them to a scene with dromedaries. The inclusion of distance scales emphasizes the importance of cartography to the imperial project, and the need to measure and survey foreign territories. The dromedaries, and the people are presented as curiosities. How does this image reflect the power dynamics between Europe and the regions it depicts? To truly understand this print, we need to delve into the travel literature of the period and the visual culture of 18th-century England. Doing so would reveal the complex interplay between knowledge, power, and representation.