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

This chromolithograph card of ‘Morocco’ is from the ‘Natives in Costume’ series, created by Allen & Ginter Cigarettes. The composition centers on a figure set against a neutral backdrop, balanced with a foreground of stylized plants. Notice how the artist employs distinct color blocks—red, yellow, and white—to define the man's traditional garb. The crisp delineation between these hues flattens the image, reducing depth and emphasizing surface design. This technique aligns with a broader trend of rejecting illusionistic depth, common in much of the art from this period. The figure's deliberate pose, coupled with the graphic clarity, transforms him into a type—a signifier of Moroccan identity rather than a unique individual. This intersects with semiotic considerations of representation and otherness within colonial contexts. Consider how such images, distributed widely through commercial means, shaped perceptions. What cultural codes are at play? The card functions within a network of visual signs that both reflect and construct ideas about identity, inviting continuous questioning and interpretation.