Caricatured Chinese figure, 1 Cash, from the series Coins of All Nations (N72, variation 2) for Duke brand cigarettes 1889

This is a cigarette card from around 1900 by W. Duke, Sons & Co., featuring a caricatured Chinese figure and coin. The coin, a "cash," symbolizes wealth, yet here it’s juxtaposed with a figure rendered through racial stereotypes that reduce humanity to caricature. Observe how the exaggerated features—the stylized mustache and closed eyes—echo similar depictions found in the propaganda of other times and places. These exaggerated images can be traced back to ancient theatrical masks, where distortion was a means to amplify character, but here, it serves to dehumanize. Consider the emotional impact: the reduction of a culture to a set of demeaning traits. This image resonates with the psychological phenomenon of "othering," where the unfamiliar is made monstrous. The symbols of prosperity and culture are twisted into instruments of prejudice. Ultimately, this small card reveals the enduring power of images to shape perceptions and manipulate collective memory. It serves as a potent reminder of how easily symbols can be co-opted to fuel prejudice, and how such images resurface through the ages, always adapting to new contexts but carrying the same destructive potential.