From the Girls and Children series (N64) promoting Virginia Brights Cigarettes for Allen & Ginter brand tobacco products 1886

Curator: Oh, hello! Have you seen this intriguing little watercolor print? It's from Allen & Ginter, part of their "Girls and Children" series promoting Virginia Brights Cigarettes, dating back to 1886. It's a real window into the past. Editor: My first thought is, whoa, that baby’s stare is intense! Almost unsettling against the soft, almost saccharine color palette. There is something vaguely menacing about using a baby to sell tobacco products. Curator: The juxtaposition is pretty wild, isn't it? You’ve got this sweet image of infancy paired with a product now known for its harmful effects. Editor: Precisely. Back then, the predatory nature of it might have been normalized but the implications now are anything but. It’s like a concentrated dose of the kind of propaganda that normalised dangerous colonialist behavior during that era. It’s disturbing that innocence becomes a tool. It would be useful to analyze from a gender studies perspective. The association between women and children and the promotion of such products, also feels relevant. Curator: It's fascinating how perceptions change. Perhaps the intention wasn’t overtly malicious, but rather playing on the Victorian ideal of innocence and domesticity. The composition is so delicate. And this kind of image was ubiquitous for trade cards back then. Editor: The technique itself underscores my point. That gentle, painterly style contrasts the brutal reality of the product. Watercolor creates such an illusory appeal. The commercial value of it versus its face value is deeply ironic. There’s a visual deceit. It’s designed to distract and disarm the consumer. Curator: Looking at it, I start to wonder about the people who created this, those layers and cultural meanings behind it and their understanding of cause and effect... the baby has a bit of an adult face, as the style back then often portrayed it, but even without, that feels very surreal in this case! Editor: Exactly! Well, on that note, I’m glad we could look into this… unusual historical relic. Curator: Absolutely, a small print sparking a world of thought! Thanks.