All are but Stories, The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam 

Edmund Dulac, born in France but a naturalized British citizen, created this artwork to accompany a translated version of "The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam," a collection of Persian poetry from the 12th century. Dulac’s illustrations, steeped in Orientalism, reflect a Western fascination with the ‘exotic’ East during the early 20th century. Notice how he uses turbans and stylized robes to signify the figures' cultural identities. The gathering of men around a central figure reading from a book implies a sharing of knowledge, but also hints at the power dynamics inherent in the act of translation and interpretation. Dulac doesn’t just illustrate the text; he interprets it through the lens of his own cultural background and artistic sensibilities, shaping our understanding of both the poem and the world it evokes. What does it mean to encounter another culture through art that is itself a translation? How does our own cultural background shape our understanding?