Emperor's Birthday, Germany, from the Holidays series (N80) for Duke brand cigarettes 1890

Editor: Here we have "Emperor's Birthday, Germany," a print made around 1890 as part of a cigarette card series. The lower register shows what appears to be a regal man in a decorative frame and a figure standing behind him is dressed as a warrior woman with spear in hand. It has a certain celebratory grandeur, but something about the style feels… a little stiff? How do you see this piece? Curator: Stiff! A perfect word for it, capturing the... shall we say, *self-conscious* grandeur these little gems often aimed for. These cards were tiny pronouncements, after all, little billboards of aspiration slipped into cigarette packs. This one tickles me with its rather *literal* approach to national pride: we’ve got your modern Kaiser lovingly observed *and* a Valkyrie pulled straight from Wagnerian opera standing guard! Don’t you think it’s trying a bit too hard to portray Germany’s strength? Editor: Yes, that's well put. So it's like they're layering different visual tropes to build this sense of national identity. Do you think the specific choice of artistic style – what they call “academic art” – also plays into this effect? Curator: Absolutely! The "academic art" style gives it that air of respectability and timelessness. Everything is carefully rendered. It's designed to evoke authority and tradition. But doesn’t the color palette strike you as a bit…unreal? Editor: Definitely! The colors are saturated, almost dreamlike. And the textures seem smoothed over. Curator: Precisely. It's a potent reminder that even in these miniature formats, art has always played a powerful role in constructing and selling narratives. Editor: So, more than just advertising cigarettes, these cards were little tools for crafting national image, huh? It’s wild to think about. Curator: Indeed. They prompt us to consider what images and symbols do *now*. How they shape our understanding of the world, for good or ill. Food for thought, wouldn't you agree?