John Phillips, Chasing Deserters, from the Pirates of the Spanish Main series (N19) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1886 - 1891

Editor: This is "John Phillips, Chasing Deserters," a colored-pencil print made between 1886 and 1891. It's part of a series for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes. I'm struck by the romanticized depiction of pirate life. How do you interpret this work, particularly given its origin as a cigarette card? Curator: Well, consider the historical context. These cards were essentially marketing tools designed to appeal to a certain ideal of masculinity and adventure. The image presents a narrative—John Phillips, the "hero," chasing down deserters. But let's unpack that "heroism." Who gets to define it? Who benefits from it? Editor: That's a good point. It seems to glorify a figure who is essentially enforcing a system, maybe even one built on exploitation. Curator: Precisely. And the "chase" itself implies a power dynamic, one that echoes broader colonial narratives of the time. How does the card’s purpose, to sell cigarettes, become implicated in those systems of power and exploitation? Think about where tobacco came from, and the labor that went into its production. Editor: So, it's not just a simple adventure scene. It's subtly reinforcing problematic social structures. I hadn't thought of it that way, it complicates my view quite a bit! Curator: These images often normalize or even celebrate behavior that, when examined critically, reveals underlying injustices. By connecting it to the economic context of the cigarette industry and the broader social implications, we see it in a much more complex and, frankly, disturbing light. Editor: I see that now, that even something as small as a cigarette card can reflect larger, systemic inequalities. Curator: Exactly. It's a reminder that art—even commercial art—is never truly neutral.