Tartar, from Types of Nationalities (N240) issued by Kinney Bros. 1890

Curator: Let’s examine this intriguing card titled "Tartar, from Types of Nationalities," issued around 1890 by Kinney Bros. It seems to be a coloured pencil drawing, reproduced as a print. Editor: Well, my initial impression is… uneasy. The exaggerated features, the bulging eyes, the too-wide grin—it’s unsettling, and definitely leans into caricature. There's a strange juxtaposition of what looks like 'refinement' and caricature. Curator: Precisely. Notice the compositional arrangement: a central figure, rigidly framed. The artist utilizes contrasting colours to highlight specific elements—the red tie, the golden hat, the Sweet Caporal packet. Editor: The symbols feel loaded. "Tartar," used as a type, instantly evokes stereotypes of Central Asian peoples. Then you have the cigarette pack—implying consumption and perhaps even "domestication" of this so-called "Tartar" figure by Western commerce. Curator: And it cannot go unnoticed that this depiction of 'national types' as a tobacco card does place these national figures in direct support and, to some degree, implicit approval, of an act of capitalistic consumerism. What may appear as mere representation takes on greater significance, even agency. Editor: Right, the overt orientalism and, well, dehumanization cannot be excused simply as 'of its time'. What do you think about the figure's elongated neck? It stretches upwards toward the caricature facial details. Is this stylistic, perhaps making an assertion? Curator: The vertical elongation exacerbates the already exaggerated nature of the facial expression and it is positioned so that one views that first, and maybe the long neck suggests an uneasy ascension, rising but off-kilter. Also note how flatly the background has been rendered to focus primarily on this effect. Editor: It's a troubling image, isn’t it? It serves as a stark reminder of how visual culture can perpetuate harmful stereotypes under the guise of simple commerce or entertainment. I guess a 'collectible' serves many purposes for the collector, some good, some nefarious. Curator: Yes, its unsettling nature pushes us to look critically at the means and purposes of the composition as a set of lines, shapes, forms, and shades that come to depict something far more unsettling than it is aesthetically fascinating.