Caricatured Chinese figure, 1 Cash, from the series Coins of All Nations (N72, variation 1) for Duke brand cigarettes 1889

This is a cigarette card from the series Coins of All Nations, created by W. Duke, Sons & Co. in the late 19th century. Such cards were commonly included in cigarette packs as collectibles, reflecting the cultural and social contexts of the time, marked by burgeoning global trade and, of course, colonialism. This card, featuring a caricatured Chinese figure, embodies the era’s problematic views on race and cultural identity. The exaggerated features and stereotypical clothing reduce a complex culture to a set of demeaning visual tropes. It's hard to look at this image and not think about the history of anti-Chinese sentiment and discriminatory practices, like the Chinese Exclusion Act in the United States. The card reduces a person to a caricature, dehumanizing them, while also commodifying them by literally attaching the figure to an object with a monetary value of 1/10 of a cent. Ultimately, this seemingly innocuous cigarette card reveals the insidious ways in which power, race, and commerce were intertwined. It serves as a stark reminder of the emotional and psychological violence propagated through seemingly harmless objects.