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

Editor: Here we have "Chinese, from Types of Nationalities," a drawing with colored pencil created around 1890 by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company. It reminds me of old advertisements, yet this is presented as an ethnographic record. What’s your interpretation of it? Curator: The figure with a long pipe becomes a symbol freighted with cultural meaning when placed in the context of the Opium Wars. Consider how this innocuous image worked to reinforce and circulate stereotypes about Chinese people and Chinese culture in the late 19th century. What details do you think contributed to that? Editor: I notice the man’s hairstyle and the label "Types of Nationalities", almost like a zoological study classifying humans. It feels dehumanizing. Curator: Precisely! And the verse. The ‘heathen Chinee’ is a cultural symbol of backwardness. Do you think this image exoticizes the Chinese man? Or something else? Editor: It feels more like a judgement, like they’re confirming pre-existing beliefs rather than genuinely exploring another culture. I see now that even something that looks simple on the surface is filled with hidden bias. Curator: These cards participated in what we call ‘orientalism.’ They solidified a specific view of "the Other" and shaped attitudes towards an entire population, perpetuating harmful stereotypes. But this piece allows us to look back, and dissect and deconstruct it. What do you think? Editor: Looking closely at something like this, and thinking about how those biased views might linger today, really changes how I see art’s role in society. I will have to ruminate on the layers of cultural baggage hidden inside simple images.