President of the Argentine Republic, from World's Sovereigns series (N34) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1889

This is a chromolithograph trading card of the President of the Argentine Republic, produced by Allen & Ginter for their "World's Sovereigns" series. At first glance, one is struck by the symmetrical composition. The President's portrait is centered, flanked above by a coat of arms and below by the company's branding. The patterned background, rendered in a detailed blue, contrasts with the smooth skin tones and neatly trimmed beard of the President. The card is designed to be both informative and aesthetically pleasing, using visual cues to signify status and authority. The inclusion of the coat of arms, featuring clasped hands, adds a layer of symbolic meaning, perhaps alluding to unity and cooperation. The rigid symmetry suggests a structured, hierarchical view of the world, neatly categorizing global leaders for the consumption of cigarette smokers. It is a small artifact of a time when the world was being neatly packaged and consumed through trade and representation, leaving us to consider how such images shaped perceptions of global power dynamics.