Czar of Russia, from World's Sovereigns series (N34) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1889

This lithograph of the Czar of Russia was produced by Allen & Ginter, a cigarette company from Richmond, Virginia, as part of its "World's Sovereigns" series. What are we to make of such an image? Consider the context: late 19th-century America, during the Gilded Age. Here, the seemingly rigid hierarchies and traditional power structures of the old world became a collectible commodity for mass consumption in the new. Allen & Ginter’s commercial calculation was to appeal to the aspirational desires of its customers, to be wealthy like the figures on the cards they collected. The Czar is presented as a symbol of power and authority, bedecked with medals and finery, yet he's also reduced to a mere token, a collectible object to be bought and traded. Further study into the company records, advertising strategies, and consumer demographics of the time, could reveal more about the cultural dynamics at play.