Portugal, from the Natives in Costume series (N16), Teofani Issue, for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1886 - 1900

This small chromolithograph from Allen & Ginter, part of a series called "Natives in Costume," was created to be included in cigarette packs. It reflects the late 19th-century vogue for collecting and the era's fascination with global cultures, which was often filtered through a lens of colonialism. The image depicts a man in what is presented as traditional Portuguese attire. Yet this idealized representation raises questions about authenticity and the Western gaze. What does it mean to distill a culture into a single image for commercial purposes? What aspects of Portuguese identity are being emphasized or ignored here? How might the experience of those represented be different from the experience of those viewing the image? Consider how this image might have shaped perceptions of Portugal and its people for consumers at the time, and how it continues to speak to the complexities of cultural representation today.