Buenos Aires, from the City Flags series (N6) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1887

This small printed card, ‘Buenos Aires, from the City Flags series’, was created for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes. These cards were not made to hang on walls. Rather, they were promotional items, inserted into cigarette packs. The image of the Argentinian flag and Buenos Aires, printed using relatively inexpensive methods, takes on a different significance when considered in the context of production and consumption. It reflects a broader shift towards mass manufacturing and marketing, where even cultural symbols like national flags become commodities. Cigarette companies were among the first to take advantage of advertising through collectible cards, offering consumers not just a product but a sense of engagement with larger themes, like travel and global culture. The small scale and ephemeral nature of these cards contrasts with the grandiosity of the images they depict. This tension prompts us to consider the social and economic forces that shape our understanding and consumption of art.