President of the Republic of Colombia, from World's Sovereigns series (N34) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1889

Editor: Here we have "President of the Republic of Colombia," a portrait from the World's Sovereigns series made in 1889 by Allen & Ginter. It’s a small print, originally a cigarette card. I find the juxtaposition of the president’s portrait with the commercial context quite striking. What’s your take on it? Curator: It’s a powerful commentary on the intertwining of commerce, colonialism, and the construction of national identity in the late 19th century. These cards, distributed with cigarettes, normalized imperial hierarchies and exoticized foreign leaders for a Western audience. Allen & Ginter, by visually "collecting" world leaders, participated in a kind of soft power. Who do you think they wanted to reach? Editor: Presumably their consumers, the smoking public, and likely a white, middle-class demographic. This card then served as a form of propaganda? Curator: Absolutely. Consider how the portrayal itself reinforces power dynamics. The President is framed formally, but also flattened and presented as a commodity. The card is literally consumed, used, and discarded, which mirrors, in many ways, the attitude towards colonized nations and their resources. How might we analyze this image using postcolonial theory? Editor: Thinking about the historical power imbalances, it shows how Western companies profited by creating a sense of familiarity and control over the rest of the world. It’s unsettling to think about such casual dehumanization. Curator: Precisely. The small scale and ubiquity of these cards allowed such messages to become deeply ingrained in popular culture, shaping perceptions and reinforcing societal norms related to race, nation, and power. What does this suggest about contemporary media? Editor: That we need to remain aware of the messages that advertisements and other commonplace items communicate. Thank you. That adds an incredible layer of complexity to my understanding of this little card. Curator: Indeed, it makes me consider how even the smallest artifacts can reveal larger, more insidious social structures.