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

Curator: Ah, a rather dashing Rear Admiral. This image comes from a series of naval flags created by Allen & Ginter, that Richmond, Virginia cigarette brand, between 1886 and 1891. It's a lithograph with colored pencil details, quite striking, really. Editor: There's something endearingly old-fashioned about it, isn't there? A whiff of sepia-toned history. Though, those stars look a little lonely on that blue background... Almost like misplaced confetti on a stormy sea. Curator: The flag's simplicity, of course, speaks volumes. It represents authority, power. The choice of colors, the starkness... It's all very deliberate, in a way that almost borders on caricature, or maybe even Ukiyo-e influences given its stylization. Editor: Yes, it feels both grand and a little…diminished. I mean, the admiral himself looks less imposing hero, more slightly bewildered uncle in uniform. The scale seems off, his presence minimized beneath this oversized, almost comically drooping flag. The color palette, while vibrant, lacks nuance; and it doesn't look like it benefits his rather detailed uniform, if I do say so myself! Curator: True. One wonders about the purpose. Cigarette cards were collected, traded... did these images glorify military service, or just sell smokes? Or did it make these naval officers something…more real, relatable even? Maybe even collectable in the same sense they were selling tobacco! Editor: Perhaps it was a little of both, which doesn't detract from its intrinsic appeal. As an artifact of a bygone era of print media and material culture, it is charming. You see the bold lithography meeting the hand-touched elegance of the colorist, where artistry serves the bottom line and helps us peek back at those late 19th century consumer desires. I mean look, a serious figure turned into pocket-sized spectacle! Curator: Exactly, a visual echo of its time. It tells a story of the market, the artistry, the almost accidental poetry that blooms from everyday commercial things. It's fascinating, like discovering hidden histories within a tiny frame. Editor: And, let's admit it, its sheer quaintness gives us a tiny, guilty pleasure. So charming indeed!