Abyssinian Spear, from the Arms of All Nations series (N3) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1887

Editor: Here we have “Abyssinian Spear, from the Arms of All Nations series” created around 1887 by Allen & Ginter, held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It looks like a trading card! I'm immediately struck by how this feels like a snapshot of a culture frozen in time. What’s your read on this piece? Curator: Well, isn't it a curious thing, finding potent narratives in the humble form of a cigarette card? It throws us headfirst into the swirling vortex of late 19th-century Orientalism and good old fashioned advertising. You see this dignified Abyssinian warrior? He’s not just selling tobacco; he’s selling an idea of exotic lands and noble savagery – a carefully constructed fantasy, really. Editor: So, more about the West’s idea of Abyssinia than Abyssinia itself? Curator: Precisely! And notice the artistic choices - the flattened perspective, the focus on details of dress and weaponry. There's a clinical detachment, isn't there? It's less a portrait, more an ethnographic display neatly packaged for mass consumption. Makes you wonder about the original source image and how much "artistic license" was involved in its creation. What purpose did these images serve? Editor: It definitely makes me consider the power dynamics at play. I hadn't really thought about how something so seemingly innocuous could be loaded with such…baggage. Curator: Baggage indeed! It’s a reminder that even the smallest of objects can carry hefty cultural weight, prompting us to dissect the stories they whisper, and more importantly, the ones they try to conceal. And I'll never look at cigarette cards the same way!