Maryland, from Flags of the States and Territories (N11) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1888

This small chromolithograph was printed by Allen & Ginter, a cigarette company based in Richmond, Virginia. It features the flag of Maryland, one of a series of cards included in packs of cigarettes. These cards reflected a late 19th century fascination with state symbols, but also served to promote the company’s brand. The flag itself is a complex emblem of Maryland's colonial history, incorporating the heraldic symbols of the Calvert and Crossland families, who were central to the founding of the colony. These symbols are laden with gendered and class-based meanings. The inclusion of family crests was a way for early colonists to assert their status and lineage in a new land, but also a marker of exclusion. Who was welcome, and who was not? The scene below the flag features ships, evoking Maryland’s maritime history and its connections to global trade networks. These networks were built on the backs of enslaved people whose labor was crucial to the colony's economic success. The flag, then, is a layered image, one which asks us to consider the legacies of colonialism, class, and race that continue to shape Maryland today.