Order of St. Anne, Russia, from the World's Decorations series (N30) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1890

This is a chromolithograph of the Russian Order of Saint Anne, printed by Allen & Ginter for their series of cigarette cards. The image depicts a red and gold cross, suspended from a ribbon, with a small scene of Saint Anne in the center. Produced in the United States, these cards were a marketing tool, using images of foreign awards to add a veneer of sophistication to the branding of tobacco products. This image exoticizes Russian culture for the consumer. Note how the traditional symbol of the Order of Saint Anne, with its religious and aristocratic associations, is divorced from its original context and turned into a commercial object. To fully understand the image, we can research not only the history of Russian Imperial awards but also the history of American marketing. In this way, we can reflect on the meaning of art as something that is contingent on social and institutional context.