Order of the Golden Fleece, Austria, from the World's Decorations series (N44) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1890

Curator: What a striking piece of graphic art! This is a chromolithograph, a print from the “World’s Decorations” series, created in 1890 by Allen & Ginter for their cigarette packages. It depicts the Austrian Order of the Golden Fleece. Editor: It's fascinating how luxurious it feels, considering its origin as a cigarette card. The vivid pinks and blues of the medal against the cream background give it an unexpectedly regal air. Curator: These cards were intended to be collected and traded, which highlights the role that tobacco companies played in disseminating imagery of power and prestige to the masses. This particular medal represented inclusion in a highly exclusive, aristocratic circle. Editor: The design is clearly drawing from the Art Nouveau style with its decorative, flowing lines and the naturalistic laurel wreath framing the image. What I find interesting is the material contradiction: a symbol of old-world aristocracy used as a disposable consumer product. Curator: Absolutely. And let’s consider the production: mass-produced color lithography, involving a whole chain of labor, put this image into the hands of everyday consumers. It democratizes the consumption of aristocratic imagery while simultaneously reinforcing those power structures. Editor: So it's really about making the inaccessible accessible, packaging status, literally, for mass consumption. The symbolic value becomes another commodity. Curator: Exactly! The appeal of these cigarette cards lay in the material value they provided to the collector—the detailed artistry and colorful printing on these small cards spoke to a certain value of skilled production. The use of printmaking made luxurious things accessible in some sense. Editor: Seeing it through this lens of mass production makes me think differently about how visual symbols circulate within a culture, impacting viewers. Curator: Me too! It is incredible how an object as ephemeral as a cigarette card can offer insights into broader themes of social status and visual consumption in the late 19th century.