United States of Columbia, from Flags of All Nations, Series 1 (N9) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1887

Editor: This print, "United States of Columbia" from 1887 by Allen & Ginter, it’s a little unsettling to me. It looks like an imagined or distorted version of a nation, but it's still presented in this very collectible, almost celebratory way as a cigarette card. How do you interpret this work? Curator: That unease is warranted. These cigarette cards weren't innocent collectables. They actively participated in constructing and promoting a very specific, often biased, worldview. Consider that the card is titled "United States of Columbia" - what does that imply in the context of American expansionism and its relationship to other nations? And who benefits from distributing such imagery on a mass scale via cigarette cards? Editor: It’s almost like a claim, or a visual assertion of dominance over other countries presented as simple trading cards. Is there something particularly telling in how this nation is represented here? Curator: Absolutely. The flag is oddly designed, almost caricatured, and it appears above a fortified cityscape that could easily symbolize power and control. What are the colors evoking? Red, yellow and blue may reference the colours of Gran Colombia, an early 19th century republic. So is it about a literal country? Or about an ideal of it? This complicates the image. The stars might also give clues, suggesting connections, but who decides what this connections means, and whom benefits from such a representation? We need to acknowledge that representations such as these often helped manufacture consent for unequal power dynamics. Editor: So it is not about passively displaying an image, but actively shaping the viewer's understanding of nations and power? Curator: Precisely! The context of its creation and distribution matters immensely. This card served as propaganda by embedding specific ideas about American identity and its place in the world. Editor: That definitely shifts my understanding of it. It makes the seemingly innocent image feel much more loaded with meaning. Thanks! Curator: It's a potent reminder to look beyond the surface and interrogate the power structures embedded within even the most commonplace images.