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

This small card, made by Allen & Ginter for their cigarette brands, is from a series called "Natives in Costume". Printed on thin paper, it depicts a man in traditional Turkish dress, likely made with chromolithography, a printing technique popular in the late 19th century for its ability to produce colorful images quickly and cheaply. This mass-production contrasts sharply with the intricate handcraft involved in creating the clothing it depicts, suggesting a tension between industrial capitalism and cultural heritage. The card was made to be collected, a tiny token of exoticism distributed with a product as common as cigarettes. In its material form, this card represents the commodification of culture, transforming identity into a collectible item. By understanding this card through its materials and the processes that made it, we can better appreciate how it reflects broader issues of labor, politics, and consumption in its time.