Chili, from the Races of Mankind series (T181) issued by Abdul Cigarettes 1881

Editor: This is "Chili, from the Races of Mankind series" issued around 1881 by Abdul Cigarettes. It's a print, a drawing, and almost feels like a genre painting inspired by Ukiyo-e. I'm struck by the figure’s direct gaze and the artist’s meticulous detail in capturing her lace bonnet and shawl. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Well, the portrait itself immediately brings to mind archetypes of feminine virtue prevalent in the late 19th century, think 'mother' or 'earth mother'. Yet the "Races of Mankind" series suggests a classification, a way of seeing 'types' rather than individuals. The word "Chili" functions as a cultural marker, almost like a coded language about origin and ethnicity. How does the backdrop, with the stylized botanical element, play into this understanding for you? Editor: I see what you mean, the exoticized foliage, possibly meant to be South American, seems like visual shorthand, almost reducing a complex identity into easily digestible symbols for the consumer. So the image works as a container for ideas? Curator: Precisely! And it reveals the power dynamics inherent in portraiture itself. Notice how this idealized depiction is intertwined with commerce, given its origin as a cigarette card. We’re witnessing cultural assumptions being manufactured and circulated widely. Consider how the simple act of looking encodes certain beliefs about other cultures. Editor: That’s a pretty charged insight; it is more than just an innocent image then. This has made me see the symbolic violence within something that initially seemed like just a charming period piece. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure. It’s in peeling back those layers of visual assumptions that art truly speaks.