Naval Convoy, United States, from the Naval Flags series (N17) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1886 - 1891

Curator: This is “Naval Convoy, United States” one of the Naval Flags series produced by Allen & Ginter Cigarettes, likely sometime between 1886 and 1891. Editor: My first thought? There's a charming naiveté in this print. It feels… wistful, even though it depicts military ships. Curator: Given its origins as a collectible card inserted in cigarette packs, mass production techniques like colored pencils and printing are central here. How fascinating that high seas militarization was marketed alongside tobacco consumption. Editor: Exactly! And consider the cultural context: The late 19th century saw a surge in both industrial production and imperialistic ambition. These cards aestheticize that expansion, normalizing naval power within everyday consumer culture. How does it resonate with its consumers? Curator: Right. These were churned out on an industrial scale, promoting Allen & Ginter Cigarettes from Richmond, Virginia—a location rife with implications of postwar industry and reconstruction. It brings up a key question— who made them? Editor: Absolutely. We can't ignore that history of labor and manufacture, but beyond the brand name, it's tough to recover individual artists. However, looking closer at the work, I'm thinking of the legacy of impressionism with a focus on maritime settings. Curator: While “impressionism” could describe the application, I think there is a nod to Orientalism with the ships themselves and a romantic view of seafaring trade, typical of the genre-paintings from the period. Editor: A fair point! By putting these commercial objects into an historical narrative, what assumptions or messages do they then reinforce for the late-19th century consumer about both commercialism and nationalism? Curator: It’s remarkable how much information such a small piece of paper conveys about production, consumption, and the creation of both personal and national identity in a transformative era. Editor: Indeed. It’s a tiny rectangle that prompts expansive thinking about global networks, consumerism, and the shaping of historical consciousness.