Kingmate, from The World's Racers series (N32) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1888

Editor: Here we have "Kingmate, from The World's Racers series" by Allen & Ginter, created in 1888. It's a print using colored pencils, and it reminds me of old-fashioned baseball cards. It looks very quaint. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: Well, first, let’s consider its function as a trade card inserted into cigarette packs. Allen & Ginter sought to elevate their product, not through artistic merit per se, but by associating it with desirable images—sport, success. Think about the labor involved: from cultivating tobacco to the printing of these cards, it speaks volumes about industrial production and consumption patterns of the era. What does the medium—color pencil print—say to you in terms of accessibility and mass appeal? Editor: I suppose the print method made it cheap and easy to produce on a large scale. It democratized the image, bringing art – of a kind – to a wider audience. The use of colored pencil seems aimed to give the object warmth and therefore boost desire for Allen & Ginter's cigarettes. Curator: Precisely. We’re looking at how materials and processes connect with commerce and society. The caricature style flattens representation, turning the subject into a recognizable, reproducible object. Consider the implied values. What is this company selling beyond tobacco? Editor: Status, maybe? A connection to something exciting and glamorous. It's interesting how this little card ties into broader themes of labor and consumerism at the end of the 19th century. Curator: Absolutely. The means of its production is directly linked to the culture it reflects and promotes. It reveals, perhaps inadvertently, the engines of its time. Editor: I see the piece now in a very different light. It's not just a simple drawing, but a little window into the values of that time! Curator: Indeed. And understanding its materiality lets us better see through that window.