E.D. Lange, Walker, from World's Champions, Series 2 (N29) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1888

This small chromolithograph featuring E.D. Lange, walker, was produced by Allen & Ginter for their series of cigarette cards. These cards, which gained popularity in the late 19th century, were inserted into cigarette packs as a marketing tactic. The "World's Champions" series reflects a time when leisure and athleticism were increasingly commercialized, and these cards served to promote not just cigarettes but also the idea of the ideal American man. The image of Lange, a white athlete, is very telling. The late 19th century was a period of intense racial segregation and the construction of whiteness as the epitome of physical and moral superiority. Allen and Ginter were thus reinforcing these ideas by highlighting white athletes as symbols of national pride and achievement. This card offers insight into how consumer culture and racial ideology intersected during the late 1800s. It’s a reminder of the subtle yet pervasive ways in which ideas about race, gender, and class were embedded in everyday objects.