Beduinenlager: Karawane mit 70 Personen, Bazar mit Handwerkern, arabisches Cafe, Szenen aus der Wüste, Reitervorstellungen

Notice

This object is problematic from an ethical and moral point of view because of what is depicted or because of its contents. bavarikon is displaying it in order to enable and promote a critical, sensitive examination of these depictions and their contents. As the operator of bavarikon, the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (Bavarian State Library) expressly distances itself from discriminatory, racist, stereotyping, and inhuman representations and content.

Description

This poster was used by the showman Carl Gabriel (1857-1931) in 1901 to advertise his first display of “exotic” people at the Oktoberfest. Gabriel presented an elaborately staged “Bedouin camp” as an ethnological exposition, also known as “human zoo”, in a magnificent setting on an area of approximately 7,500 square metres on the Theresienwiese. 70 people and numerous “exotic” animals were on display. The audience was also offered an extensive entertainment programme. Gabriel conducted an extensive advertising campaign beforehand to ensure that the show attracted a large audience.

The advertising poster shown here is a stereotyping portrayal of the “foreigner”. The poster thus serves the penchant for the “exotic”, which was heightened in the context of contemporary history by imperialism and colonialism. The motif of a caravan rider in the desert is influenced by the history of “superior” Europe’s domination and perspective. The advertising poster design was intended to evoke clichés of “One Thousand and One Nights” already anchored in the viewer’s mind and to arouse curiosity to visit the “ethnological exposition”. The organisers’ primary goal was not an “authentic” representation of cultural events, but to meet the audience’s expectations in the most spectacular way possible and thus generate income.