From the Girls and Children series (N65) promoting Richmond Straight Cut Cigarettes for Allen & Ginter brand tobacco products 1884 - 1891

This small card, part of the "Girls and Children" series, promoted Richmond Straight Cut Cigarettes for Allen & Ginter. This series, like many advertising campaigns from the late 19th century, offers a glimpse into the era's complex social attitudes. The figure here, likely a young white boy in costume, evokes the highly charged history of minstrelsy. These performances, which often featured white performers in blackface, perpetuated harmful stereotypes and caricatures of Black people. The figure’s exaggerated features and attire reflect the dehumanizing practices of minstrel shows. What does it mean to use the likeness of a child to perpetuate these stereotypes for profit? This card highlights the ways in which power, race, and commerce intersected. The act of consumption becomes deeply implicated in the reinforcement of social hierarchies and the perpetuation of racism. How does this image make you feel? Can an understanding of its historical context change how we perceive its message today?