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

Curator: How captivating! This chromolithograph is from Allen & Ginter's "Natives in Costume" series, dating back to 1886. The card depicts a man identified as being from Holland. Editor: There's something undeniably unsettling about the staging of this image. A person displayed like a commodity, carefully cataloged as "Holland"— it smacks of ethnological display from a bygone colonial era. Curator: It certainly carries those echoes. But let’s look closer: the image’s design borrows from the Ukiyo-e tradition, specifically in the figure’s posture and how the landscape is presented as backdrop rather than a deep space. He appears to stand at the crossroads between traditions. Editor: An intersection that serves, in effect, to exoticize and "package" cultural identity for the consumption of Ginter's tobacco clientele. We cannot forget how advertisement reinforces particular narratives. The smiling face obscures the reality of colonial exploitation. Curator: Do you believe we might also perceive the intent to showcase foreign cultures and fashions to their consumers? What sort of cultural value judgments are assigned to those cultures by virtue of the depicted image, but more importantly, by the nature of their status as commercial content? Editor: Cultural value judgments are implied, certainly. Who decides what culture is worthy of presentation? Also, think about who exactly these images are supposed to attract, right? This isn’t about fashion, it is an exercise in marketing a product by leaning into popular colonial narratives, and even pseudo-scientific ones around categorizing people in terms of race and region. Curator: I do think about the choices here as an artifact which documents an imperfect understanding of the cultural nuances the manufacturers attempted to tap into. This Holland presents an idea, not necessarily reality, but definitely something someone believed held value. Editor: Yes. The tension between documentation and marketing feels very present and of its time, to put it lightly. Looking at this man presented in a packaged version of "Holland", reminds us that no image is neutral. Curator: The image offers so much when seen with modern eyes. Editor: Indeed, perhaps too much for a little tobacco card.