Dress Parade, from the Parasol Drills series (N18) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1888

This is a ‘Dress Parade’ card, one of a series of chromolithographs published by Allen & Ginter Cigarettes in Richmond, Virginia, during the late nineteenth century. These cards, collected by consumers, offer a window into the cultural landscape of the Gilded Age. We see a woman in elaborate attire, holding a closed parasol like a weapon. The image creates meaning through its visual codes, cultural references, and historical associations. It reflects the era’s fascination with fashion, display, and social ritual. Cigarette cards like this were a form of advertising and social commentary. They helped shape consumer desires and gender ideals of the time, projecting feminine ideals alongside commercial interests. The historian views such images as crucial primary documents. We use trade catalogs, newspapers, and archival records to piece together the complex relationship between commerce, culture, and identity in this period.