1951 Pictorial Map of Middle East and Asia

532

In 1951, Jaques Liozu designed a map of Asia, depicting the region from the Mediterranean Sea and Pacific Ocean to Mongolia and Indonesia. The map is colorfully illustrated, with Middle Eastern and Asian flags, labels, animals, and characters. 

Featured characters are drawn from the French-European perspective of the Orient, exoticizing and stereotyping them. There is a Persian person riding a magic carpet, an Indian person riding an elephant next to a snake charmer, a half-naked Sumatran woman carrying a vase, a Chinese person walking with a camel, and more. Across the board, characters have slanted eyes and exotic outfits.
 

A 1951 map depicting an exoticized version of the Middle East and Asia.
A 1951 map depicting an exoticized version of the Middle East and Asia.