Tasmanian Devil, from the Wild Animals of the World series (N25) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1888

This lithograph of a Tasmanian Devil was produced by Allen & Ginter for a series of cigarette cards at the end of the 19th century. At that time, Europe and the United States were seeing a boom in natural history museums and zoos, so it is no surprise that tobacco companies jumped on this bandwagon. This card served as a collectible and a source of information about exotic animals. The Tasmanian Devil is presented here as a curiosity, a fearsome creature from a faraway land. Australia was a relatively new colony at that time, and its unique flora and fauna were of great interest to European and American audiences. But the card also speaks to the colonial gaze, which often exoticized and othered the natural world and people of colonized lands. Historians can use sources such as colonial records, scientific literature, and popular culture artifacts to understand the complex relationship between humans and animals in the context of colonialism and industrialization.