Colonialism.....sexy?

I found this partial collection of early 1900s postcards on a French auction site. Was the theme to make fun of an African woman in European dress or show that a Europeanized African woman could equal those standards of beauty?
It shows stages of dress from the model's "first chemise" to a dress looking like the character Jane Porter from Tarzan.

The photo above shows how the corset with attached garters belts make her chemise look.

The image above shows the model in a combination undergarment. It's drawers and a corset cover in one, worn over the corset and chemise. Her head dress is kind of strange

The leopard rug and the L.R. initials tie the various postcards together. She was a beautiful woman.