Tuscany, from the Types of All Nations series (N24) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1889

This small chromolithograph, part of Allen & Ginter's "Types of All Nations" series, was produced as a collectible insert for cigarette packs. Made in the United States, it reflects a late 19th-century fascination with global cultures, packaged and commodified for American consumers. The image presents a romanticized view of a woman from Tuscany, Italy. The focus is on what might then have been viewed as her "ethnic" clothing, a headscarf and shawl rendered in bright colours. The card presents a vision of Italy that reduces its complex society into an easily digestible stereotype. These cards were part of a larger marketing strategy that both exploited and perpetuated stereotypes about other cultures. Careful research into advertising ephemera and the history of collecting is essential to understanding the cultural work this image once performed. By examining such materials, we can uncover the attitudes and assumptions of a bygone era.