ABSTRACT
Exploration was initially motivated by economic and political factors—a desire for markets, resources, and territorial dominance. It eventually assumed a different, more psychological character: an altruistic urge to “civilize” barbarous peoples and curiosity about faraway lands. For those limited to armchair travel via books and prints, fantasy and imagination brought strange locations and their inhabitants alive. In the process imaginary travelers often projected inaccurate values, attitudes, and customs. These projections fulfilled Western needs, and became more extreme the more rapidly the Western world changed. Western artists portrayed their nations’ involvement in non-Western cultures in a variety of ways and indigenous peoples assumed varied significance in the context of Western social history.
