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

This chromolithograph of an imagined Chinese naval flag and admiral was produced by Allen & Ginter, a cigarette company, in Richmond, Virginia, at the end of the 19th century. The flag itself, a red field with a yellow oval, departs from the Qing Dynasty flag, signaling the company’s creative license. Below it is depicted a modern warship. In the upper right, a portrait of a bearded man in Western dress is presented. What meaning did Allen & Ginter intend to convey to their customers through this unlikely juxtaposition of images? Such trade cards were often collected and traded, reflecting a late-19th-century vogue for exoticism and a taste for the trappings of empire. In this context, the card’s imagery presents China as both a military power, and a land open to Western influence, with the cigarette company benefiting from trade with China. These visual codes give insight into the economic and cultural forces at play during the height of Western imperialism, which can be further explored through the archives of companies like Allen & Ginter.