Infanta Ysabel, Spain, from the Famous Ships series (N50) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1895

This small card featuring the Infanta Ysabel warship was produced by Allen & Ginter for Virginia Brights Cigarettes. It's a chromolithograph, a color printing technique that uses multiple lithographic stones, one for each color. The card is thin and light, reflecting its nature as a giveaway item. Allen & Ginter employed this series to promote its cigarettes, capitalizing on a craze for collecting. The choice of subject matter, a Spanish warship, speaks volumes. By the late 19th century, naval power was a symbol of national pride, and trade cards like these brought images of distant lands and impressive machinery into everyday life. Consider the labor involved: from the printing process itself to the global trade networks that brought tobacco to market. Even a seemingly simple artifact like this reflects the complex interweaving of consumer culture, national identity, and industrial production. Trade cards occupied a fascinating place between advertising, art, and ephemera.