Ostend, from the City Flags series (N6) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1887

Editor: This is "Ostend, from the City Flags series," made in 1887 by Allen & Ginter, housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It seems like it's a print, maybe even a little advertisement-y in style. I'm initially drawn to the bright flag dominating the image. What do you see in this piece, beyond its obvious commercial origins? Curator: Oh, but its commercial origin *is* the hook, isn't it? Allen & Ginter cigarette cards... these little slices of capitalist dreams. And what dreams! A riot of colour representing, of all things, a Belgian seaside town. The flag, almost cartoonishly bold, sits atop this jewel-like cityscape. For me, it’s a tiny portal. Makes me wonder: what *was* Ostend like back then? Was it really that idyllic, those sailboats and swooping gulls a real postcard come to life? Or a fantasy woven from nicotine and ink? Editor: A fantasy, definitely! It's almost… Ukiyo-e in its composition, but definitely filtered through a very Western gaze. Orientalism plays a part, even in how the landscape is presented. What would someone seeing this in 1887 have made of it, do you think? Curator: I bet for some, it was pure escapism. A tiny ticket to a place they'd only dream of, bought with the price of a smoke. For others, maybe a simple bit of branding – “Hey, Ostend, I recognize that flag!” I think it’s fascinating how such a seemingly trivial object can carry such weight. The real and the imagined, packaged up neatly and sold by the handful! The idea is so strange! Editor: That’s fascinating. I hadn’t thought about it as a “ticket”. So, it’s not just a picture, it’s almost an invitation. It definitely makes me look at the practice of collecting images and promotional items from a different perspective. Curator: Exactly. What did these images inspire beyond a brand preference? It seems like there's a desire for adventure beyond one’s home! Something tiny can be so telling… that is its beauty, perhaps!