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

This small chromolithograph, "Right About", was produced by Allen & Ginter for their cigarette brands. It's a mass-produced image, printed using multiple lithographic stones, each carrying a different color. This allowed for relatively complex and eye-catching images to be made quickly, cheaply, and in vast quantities. The image showcases a woman in an elaborate dress with a matching hat, holding a parasol. Note how the dot matrix of the printing process defines the figure. This texture is not incidental; it’s intrinsic to the image. The materiality of mass production becomes part of the aesthetic. The image is clearly designed to appeal to consumers, suggesting a lifestyle of leisure and sophistication. Consider the labor involved, from the artists creating the original design to the factory workers operating the printing presses, and those harvesting and curing the tobacco, all feeding into a system of mass production and consumption. This card, like all objects, is a record of social relations.