Spanish, from Types of Nationalities (N240) issued by Kinney Bros. 1890

This is a lithograph titled “Spanish, from Types of Nationalities,” made around 1889 by Kinney Bros. Tobacco Company. It’s a colorful collectible card depicting a stereotypical Spanish matador. At the time, mass-produced images like this played a significant role in shaping public perception and even reinforcing prejudice. Consider the title "Types of Nationalities." The card presents a singular, fixed idea of Spanish identity, reducing a complex culture to a few visual and textual clichés. The poem below the image focuses on the matador's supposed vanity and delight in violence, perpetuating a sensational, exoticized view of Spain. These cards weren’t high art, but they were powerful cultural artifacts. They circulated widely, shaping ideas about national identity for a broad audience. To fully understand its meaning, we need to consider it as part of a larger history of mass media and popular culture. Researching the Kinney Bros. and the culture of collecting can reveal much more about the social role of such images. Art is always made within a context of social and institutional forces.