Hindu, from World's Smokers series (N33) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1888

This is a lithograph card from the ‘World’s Smokers’ series, created by Allen & Ginter. The composition centers on a portrait of a man, identified as "Hindoo," in ornate attire, smoking a pipe. The formal qualities—the use of line, color, and texture—offer a glimpse into late 19th-century cultural attitudes. The card presents a neatly framed composition, employing a shallow depth of field. Soft, muted colors create a sense of exoticism, a common trope in Orientalist depictions. The detailed rendering of the man's turban and robe, with their intricate patterns, contrasts with the plain background. The rising smoke introduces dynamism, yet it's subtly contained within the frame. The card uses the semiotic system of signs to interpret visual components and cultural codes of the period. As such, it does not simply represent but also interprets and frames its subject within a broader context of cultural and economic exchange.