Garibaldi Day, Italy, from the Holidays series (N80) for Duke brand cigarettes 1890

This late nineteenth-century lithograph, by W. Duke, Sons & Co., commemorates Garibaldi Day in Italy as part of a series of holiday cigarette cards. These cards were designed to stiffen cigarette packs and to promote brand awareness. What's striking is the conflation of nation building and holiday celebration with the promotion of a commodity. The image depicts a young woman, possibly allegorical, dressed in a red shirt reminiscent of Garibaldi's army, carrying a rifle and a trumpet, with a Garibaldi coin at the bottom. She is accompanied by an army of blurred figures in the background. It's interesting to consider how the image of a woman is used here. Is she meant to represent the Italian nation, a symbol of liberty, or is she simply a decorative figure to attract consumers? These cards served as a form of cultural propaganda, subtly shaping perceptions of national identity and gender roles. These commercial images offer a glimpse into the values and ideologies that were being circulated at the time.