Design for Johnson’s ‘History of Rasselas’: Studies of Standing Figures and Similar Oriental Subjects. Verso: Sketches 1796

Editor: This is Thomas Stothard's "Design for Johnson’s ‘History of Rasselas’: Studies of Standing Figures and Similar Oriental Subjects," a drawing of various figures. The composition feels really scattered. What do you see in this piece? Curator: These sketches offer a fascinating glimpse into how "Oriental" figures were imagined and depicted. Note the repeated motifs – standing figures, reading figures, figures in procession – each carrying an emotional and cultural weight. What do these repeated images evoke for you? Editor: I guess they show a kind of fascination with, but also distance from, other cultures. Thanks, I see a new layer in the work now. Curator: Exactly! By recognizing the weight of these symbols, we can better understand cultural memory and continuity through visual imagery.