Caricatured Cuban, 2 Reals, from the series Coins of All Nations (N72, variation 2) for Duke brand cigarettes 1889

Curator: Well, here's a fascinating little artifact, a colored-pencil print from 1889, titled "Caricatured Cuban, 2 Reals" produced for Duke brand cigarettes. It’s part of a series called "Coins of All Nations." Editor: My first impression is… jarring. The exaggerated features and somewhat garish colors feel both playful and…unsettling. The red headscarf and watering can clash oddly with the dull coin. Curator: Precisely. What’s crucial is understanding its function. This wasn’t meant to be high art. These were trade cards, mass-produced and included in cigarette packs. We must examine how tobacco companies employed such imagery. The materiality of it--cheap paper stock and mass production methods--speaks to its disposable nature and wide distribution. Editor: Yes, its public role becomes quite problematic in a contemporary lens. How do we reconcile this blatant caricature with notions of cultural representation, especially considering the historical context of colonial Cuba and US commercial interests? Were these images intentionally promoting skewed perceptions to serve political agendas? Curator: Undoubtedly, these images normalized prejudiced representations of Cuban people. Examining the printing techniques and distribution channels allows us to map the circulation of these biased ideas. Consider, too, the economics of it. Duke, one of the giants of the early cigarette industry, commodifying both tobacco *and* racist imagery for profit. Editor: So, we see how commercial imagery directly influenced the construction of racist and stereotypical representations of Cubans, further complicating the reception and history of US-Cuban relations, even impacting how the revolution happened in the mid 20th century. A tiny card with weighty historical ramifications. Curator: Absolutely. The materiality of a simple trade card reveals much about its role within larger cultural and political economies. The artwork functions as a social document. Editor: For me, reflecting on this piece makes me think about the continuing pervasiveness of caricature in the media and what cultural and commercial assumptions those stereotypes continue to uphold.