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How was the concept of "otherness" visually constructed and negotiated in early modern British art?

Beyond simple exoticism, I'm interested in how imagery of Africans, Ottomans, Native Americans, or the Irish served to define a British self-identity. What visual tropes—costume, posture, setting—were used to signify "otherness," and how did these change with expanding trade, colonialism, and scientific classification?

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By Rashi Garg Answered 10 months ago

Otherness was constructed through a developing visual vocabulary tied to emerging ideologies of race and civility. Allegorical figures (like the "Four Continents") used costume and attributes to codify difference. In portraiture, the inclusion of Black servants or "pages" served as a status symbol for the sitter, visually marginalizing the Black figure. Ethnographic prints from travel accounts provided supposedly documentary types. Key visual tropes included contrasting dress ("Oriental" turbans vs. European fashion), posture (servile vs. commanding), and association with animals or "savage" landscapes. As scientific racism hardened in the 18th century, these representations shifted from marking religious or cultural difference to signifying perceived inherent, biological difference, reinforcing Britain's imperial self-image.

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