Arab House, from the Habitations of Man series (N113) issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Smoking and Chewing Tobacco 1890

This small chromolithograph of an ‘Arab House’ was created by the Giles Company, sometime in the late nineteenth century, as a promotional item for Honest Long Cut Smoking and Chewing Tobacco. The exoticizing title and image are typical of the orientalist fantasies popular at that time. European colonial powers had been expanding their reach across North Africa and the Middle East for decades, sparking an interest in the ‘Orient’ among Western consumers. Here, the romanticized architecture, traditional dress, and languid figures, are composed to create a dream-like scene. The commercial nature of this artwork provides a valuable insight into the ways in which attitudes towards the Middle East were being shaped and disseminated in popular culture. The museum's collection of trade cards and advertising ephemera offer a glimpse into the economic and cultural forces that shaped this image. By examining these resources, we can better understand how the ‘Orient’ was constructed, consumed, and ultimately, commodified in the Western imagination.