Pierre Picard, Proposing His Plan, from the Pirates of the Spanish Main series (N19) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1886 - 1891

This chromolithograph of Pierre Picard proposing his plan for piracy comes from a series made around 1888 by Allen & Ginter Cigarettes. The image connects to the late 19th-century fascination with adventure and exotic locales, driven by industrialization and expansionist ambitions. The card depicts Picard, presumably a French buccaneer, both in close-up portrait and in a scene with his crew. The swashbuckling imagery romanticizes piracy, downplaying its violence and exploitation. Consider that this card was distributed by a cigarette company. The historical associations of tobacco use and the colonial project are reinforced here. By consuming this product and collecting the cards, one becomes part of a larger network of cultural and economic exchange. To truly understand this artwork, one might explore archives of advertising history, or studies of print culture and consumerism. This helps reveal how images mediate our understanding of the world and our place within it.