Malay, from the Types of All Nations series (N24) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1889

Curator: Let's discuss "Malay," a piece from the "Types of All Nations" series created by Allen & Ginter Cigarettes in 1889. Editor: It has a strangely unsettling feel. The portrait itself seems placid, yet the intense background color jars against the overall effect of an idealized 'ethnic' type. Curator: Indeed. The formal elements are quite striking. The subject's direct gaze commands attention. Notice how the artist has rendered light and shadow to define the figure's facial structure and emphasizes the geometric simplification, which directs focus toward essential forms. Editor: I find it impossible to separate this image from its context as a trade card produced to sell cigarettes. It seems like this piece exoticizes this individual. These "Types of All Nations" reinforce imperialist ideologies, reducing complex cultural identities to easily digestible and marketable images. Curator: Objectively speaking, though, there is a certain painterly quality, with the suggestion of brushstrokes in the rendering of skin tone. What meaning can we gather from the colors: muted golds and flesh tones sharply contrasted by vivid reds? The composition adheres to formal rules in portraiture even while breaking those rules to serve commerce. Editor: Yes, and that intersection of portraiture with racialized visual merchandising must not be divorced from its era, as they capitalized on consumerism and racial typecasting that was rampant. It reduces identity to something consumed and easily discarded once the product runs out. Curator: I appreciate your perspective and how you are placing this artwork within its cultural and commercial circumstances. The visual structure may point to other cultural realities. Editor: And you’ve offered insight to observe how cultural realities in turn also shape visual art. Thanks to Allen and Ginter, we've come a long way since cigarette cards!