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Source Description
Inspired by printed cottons from India, European manufacturers began printing textiles from copper plates in the 1750s. Originating in Ireland, the technique quickly spread to France where it flourished. Here, Jean-Baptiste Marie Huet I depicted female personifications of the four continents alongside their native flora and fauna. Although the artist based the plants and animals on real specimens observed at the Royal Botanical Gardens, he derived the personifications from racist stereotypes that imagined Europe as culturally superior: while Europe sits enthroned with symbols of the arts and knowledge at her feet, Africa wears an elephant headdress, America hunts an alligator, and Asia prays to a false god.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
111117
label
The Four Continents
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
111117
contentType
object
title
The Four Continents
description
Inspired by printed cottons from India, European manufacturers began printing textiles from copper plates in the 1750s. Originating in Ireland, the technique quickly spread to France where it flourished. Here, Jean-Baptiste Marie Huet I depicted female personifications of the four continents alongside their native flora and fauna. Although the artist based the plants and animals on real specimens observed at the Royal Botanical Gardens, he derived the personifications from racist stereotypes that imagined Europe as culturally superior: while Europe sits enthroned with symbols of the arts and knowledge at her feet, Africa wears an elephant headdress, America hunts an alligator, and Asia prays to a false god.
date
1790
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q80003276
creators
24823
13436
genreSpecific
Textile
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 112.1 x 81.3 cm (44 1/8 x 32 in.)
cul
France, 18th century
accession
1929.6
Source extras
tec
Cotton: copperplate printed
tombstone
The Four Continents, 1790. Firm of Christophe Philippe Oberkampf (French, 1738–1815), designed by Jean-Baptiste Marie Hüet (French, 1745–1811). Cotton: copperplate printed; overall: 112.1 x 81.3 cm (44 1/8 x 32 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Gregor Norman Humphreys, 1929.6
collection
Textiles
didYouKnow
Marie-Antoinette visited the textile factory where this design was made.
creditline
Gift of Gregor Norman Humphreys
updatedAt
2026-05-29 05:53:27.663000
sourceId
111117
dept
Textiles
coll
Textiles
med
Cotton: copperplate printed
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
516417e34aca1caf