Madagascar, from the Natives in Costume series (N16) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1886

Editor: Here we have "Madagascar, from the Natives in Costume series" created around 1886 by Allen & Ginter, housed here at the Met. It's… well, it’s a rather small print. There’s a figure, carrying what appears to be an umbrella, rendered in such vibrant colours! What's your take on this image? Curator: You know, it's funny you mention the colors. To me, it’s as if someone dreamt of Madagascar while sitting in a Richmond, Virginia tobacco factory. Imagine! Allen & Ginter's cigarettes weren't exactly known for documentary accuracy. What do you think they were hoping to convey here? Editor: Maybe some sense of exoticism? Or selling an idea of another place that's far from the lives of the people who would buy these cigarettes. Curator: Precisely! That touches on it. Think of 'Orientalism'. Did they truly see this figure or just imagine her? It's less about ethnographic truth and more about crafting an alluring image. Editor: So, it's more of a fantasy then? Even though it looks like a portrait, we shouldn’t really take it as representative of life in Madagascar in 1886. Curator: Absolutely. It is through rose-tinted spectacles, if you ask me. But then, what art isn’t, in its own way? What does this tell us about the people making these images and who they thought their customer base was at the time? Editor: I hadn’t thought of it that way. I guess I learned to look a bit closer to find out who created this image for whom and with what intention. Curator: Precisely, and sometimes the journey of art is learning more about ourselves, isn't it?