Colonial Fantasies: Exotic and Oriental Motifs in the Swedish Illustrated Press in the Late Nineteenth Century

• Published in: Media history 2023-10, Vol.29 (4), p.458-475
• Main Author: Bharathi Larsson, Åsa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: colonial visual culture; exotic and orientalized motifs; illustrated mass press; nineteenth century; race; Sweden
• ISSN: 1368-8804; 1469-9729; 1469-9729
• DOI: 10.1080/13688804.2023.2183826

This article explores exotic and orientalized motifs in the Swedish illustrated press at the end of the nineteenth century. I argue that one way to be part of the European colonial project was to engage in colonial practices, and among these were the mass production of exotic and Oriental motifs through the illustrated press that became prevalent throughout Scandinavia. Furthermore, I describe how illustrations were part of a broader media landscape in late nineteenth-century Sweden than previously perceived. To understand its relevance today I discuss briefly how Swedish artists have been engaged with colonial and exotic motifs. The article concludes that the various colonial visual media cultures have a long tradition in Swedish media culture which still engage questions of race and representation.