Admiral, Italy, from the Naval Flags series (N17) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1886 - 1891

This 'Admiral, Italy' card was printed by Allen and Ginter, a cigarette manufacturer from Richmond, Virginia. The image is from a series of naval flags. It depicts a portrait of a mustachioed Italian Admiral below the Italian flag of the time, the Savoy flag. These cards, which were inserted into cigarette packs, are fascinating documents of a specific historical moment in American consumer culture. They speak to the rise of mass production and advertising, and the ways in which images of foreign lands and people were used to market products. The Italian flag here is not just a symbol of national pride but a marker of exoticism, used to entice smokers to purchase Allen and Ginter's cigarettes. It creates meaning through visual codes and historical associations. Studying these cards today involves archival research into advertising history, consumer culture, and the social history of tobacco. It reminds us that even seemingly innocuous images can reveal complex power dynamics and cultural attitudes.