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

Allen & Ginter, a cigarette company based in Richmond, Virginia, created this lithograph called "Neapolitan" as part of the "World's Dudes" series. These cards were inserted into cigarette packs, a marketing tactic during the late 19th century, a period marked by burgeoning industrialization and global expansion. The image presents an idea of European masculinity through the figure of a well-dressed Neapolitan man. His clothing—the fur-lined coat, the jaunty hat, and the tailored trousers—suggests affluence and a certain cosmopolitan flair. However, it's important to remember that these images were circulated within a society grappling with issues of race, immigration, and class divisions. The depiction of the "Neapolitan" as an exotic other speaks to the construction of identity through the lens of American consumer culture. While this card may seem like a simple depiction of a fashionable man, it reflects the complex interplay between identity, representation, and commerce in the late 19th century.