Dahomey, from the Natives in Costume series (N16) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1886

Curator: This peculiar portrait, "Dahomey," comes from the "Natives in Costume" series by Allen & Ginter, dating back to 1886. It's a chromolithograph, originally a cigarette card, and now a part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection. Editor: Well, hello there! First thing that jumps out—those canary yellow trousers are positively eye-watering. Like sunshine squeezed into striped fabric! Gives a fella something to remember, that’s for sure. Curator: Indeed. We must remember the context in which this image was created. Allen & Ginter, a cigarette company, aimed to promote their brand through exotic imagery, perpetuating, in this case, harmful stereotypes about Africans for a largely white audience. Editor: Stereotypes…sigh. Always gotta spoil the bright trousers with a side of historical baggage, don't we? I guess the artist wasn’t exactly trying to capture a nuanced personality. More like a… a collectible curiosity. Curator: Precisely. It's crucial to analyze the composition, the artist's choices. The figure is posed statically, presented as 'other,' almost like a specimen. And that the choice of calling this image 'Dahomey', using a geographic reference to define the subject… It speaks volumes. Editor: Now that you mention it, his expression’s a bit… vacant, isn’t it? Not a hint of emotion. He’s just… standing there, holding that club thingy, looking for all the world like a painted cardboard cut-out. Curator: It's that objectification that makes this card so telling, so very troubling. We must challenge the visual tropes and racial caricatures employed. How this single image played a role in shaping public perceptions and impacting lives. Editor: All that vibrant color… such a shame it's tied up in this colonial mindset, selling smokes. It makes you wonder what stories this person really had, tucked away beneath those yellow stripes. Makes you wanna reach in and give 'em a real portrait, know what I mean? Curator: It serves as a stark reminder that art, even in seemingly innocuous forms like cigarette cards, is never neutral, never without social or political consequence. Editor: Right then, makes you think twice about the images you're surrounded by, even the colourful ones! And how they might be colouring your own perceptions… Cheez. Food for thought with my morning coffee I suppose.