Smoking Hot: the Odalisque’s eroticizing Cigarette

Abstract

“Smoking concubines reveal to us the secret of the harem”, Professor Luthmer explained in 1894. This promising image is a sign board inviting tourists to the worlds of the Orient, developed by the occident to escape daily life, eroticized by the tales of The Arabian Nights. Hidden in the harem, the painting made the odalisque available for western eyes: lounging, dancing and above all, blatantly smoking. The Orient was “nicotinized”: fumes evoked dreams and hallucinations, as well as steamy sexual suggestions. But above all, it created an image of otherness since European women were not allowed to have a cigarette between their lips; this was the emblem for prostitutes. Even when photography came into fashion, these dream worlds were presented on postcards, rather than what was actually experienced.Zooming in on Egypt, a pinch of pharaonic elegance could be added. Indeed, Egyptian tobacco was famous and used in the production of western cigarettes. Sold in eye-catching tin boxes, the Egyptian landscape illustrations soon changed into better selling eastern beauties, obviously tempting potential male users. Yet after the emancipation of tobacco in the west, the historical queens Cleopatra and Nefertiti invited tourist to the dream world of Egypt.