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

This small chromolithograph was printed by Allen & Ginter, a cigarette company in Richmond, Virginia. It’s one of a series portraying people from around the world, rendered in a detailed, painterly style. The process of chromolithography, which allowed for mass production of color images, is crucial here. It's a mode of production intrinsically linked to industrial capitalism and global trade networks. Look at how the qualities of the medium, its capacity for intricate detail and vibrant color, serve to exoticize the image of the ‘Eskimo’ child. The cigarette card format encouraged collecting and trading, embedding this image within a system of leisure and consumption. It speaks volumes about how cultural understanding, or misunderstanding, can be packaged and sold alongside tobacco. The inherent politics of representation are inseparable from the material processes and the economic structures that brought this image into being. It prompts us to consider how everyday objects can carry profound cultural weight.