Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, and the Salaman and Absal of Jami — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is an illustration page from a Victorian penny dreadful depicting what appears to be a polo or field sports scene. The image shows several figures in ornate, patterned clothing and distinctive tall headdresses on horseback and on foot, engaged in some kind of game or sporting activity with sticks and a ball visible in the field. The caption at the bottom reads "Welcome, Prince of Horsemen, welcome! Ride a field, and strike the Ball!" The Persian or Central Asian script at the top of the page suggests this story involves non-European characters or settings. The detailed line-drawn illustration is characteristic of penny dreadful periodicals' visual storytelling style.