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

This small printed card, "Russian, from Types of Nationalities" was made by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company. It's chromolithography, a commercial printing technique using multiple colors to create an image, quite common for advertising in the late 19th century. The material itself – thin, mass-produced cardstock – speaks volumes. Cigarette cards like these were essentially vehicles for brand promotion, tiny canvases designed to be collected and traded. The image, depicting a stereotypical "Russian" as a bomb-throwing anarchist, reflects the anxieties and prejudices of the time, but also the company's role of propagating those ideas. Look closely, and you'll see the flat, graphic style, achieved through layers of ink applied in a factory setting. This isn't fine art made in a studio, but rather an example of everyday ephemera, a disposable item made to serve commercial ends. Appreciating its material and production reminds us that even the smallest objects can tell complex stories about labor, politics, and consumption.