Mike, from World's Dudes series (N31) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1888

Curator: This quirky character comes to us from an Allen & Ginter Cigarettes trading card series, “World's Dudes,” dating all the way back to 1888. It’s a lithograph, likely after a drawing or colored-pencil rendering, and it's currently housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: Dudes indeed! What strikes me immediately is how absurdly elegant he seems trying to be, despite his general dishevelment. I see smoke rings—so pretentious!—combined with…is that a hole in his pants? It's delightfully subversive. Curator: Precisely! The "World's Dudes" series was a study in contrasts, playing with class anxieties. These weren’t portraits of established elites but, rather, of types aspiring—often failing—to attain a certain fashionable status. The inclusion of cigarette cards provided ordinary citizens with exposure to current ideas, and reinforced social codes. Editor: I find his expression captivating. It’s that kind of smirky self-awareness that suggests he knows exactly how ridiculous he looks, maybe even relishing in it! Is he winking, or is his hat falling in his face? What is the narrative trying to convey, it seems tongue-in-cheek? Curator: His inclusion in the set is definitely meant as satire. Allen & Ginter commodified social aspiration itself. Think about the irony, of selling accessibility and ideas of wealth, through fleeting ephemeral objects like cigarette cards. They highlighted the tension of who participates in higher society and art. Editor: So this 'dude' isn't just a silly picture; he's a reflection of late 19th-century consumerism and social climbing? That's far deeper than his pockets! It's strange to think that an image intended as social critique became a desirable commercial collectible in its own right. Curator: That paradox lies at the heart of popular culture, I think. And perhaps in “Mike” – that strange, captivating smirk... There's a mischievous, even cynical quality. We are still charmed, and unsettled by the image even today! Editor: Indeed! Thank you!