Tartar, Great Britain, from the Famous Ships series (N50) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1895

Allen & Ginter's "Tartar, Great Britain," from the Famous Ships series, presents us with a sepia-toned lithograph, a format typically found in cigarette cards. The artwork features a detailed rendering of a British ship set against the backdrop of a cityscape. The composition is notably divided into horizontal bands – the sea, the ship, the city, and the sky – creating a layered effect. Lines are used with precision to define the ship's structure and rigging, while tonal variations suggest depth and volume. The texture, though uniform due to the printing process, implies the roughness of the sea and the industrial nature of the ship. This lithograph functions within a network of signs. The ship itself is not merely a vessel but a symbol of British naval power and industrial progress. The cityscape in the background anchors the ship within a specific cultural and economic context, evoking notions of trade, exploration, and national identity. The deliberate composition and detailed rendering invite us to consider the relationship between technology, national ambition, and visual representation.