Sultan of Turkey, from World's Sovereigns series (N34) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1889

This is a chromolithograph of the Sultan of Turkey, part of the World's Sovereigns series created by Allen & Ginter. Immediately, the intricate details and the use of color—primarily reds, golds, and greens—draw the eye, creating a sumptuous, if not idealized, portrait. The patterned background clashes harmoniously, and the Sultan's serious gaze is offset by his ornamental attire. Structurally, the image is divided into clear zones. The top features the title and a heraldic crest, the middle is dominated by the Sultan’s portrait, and the bottom is dedicated to the brand’s advertisement. This division functions as a semiotic system, where each zone communicates distinct information: identity, representation, and commerce. The rigid, vertical format confines the Sultan to a two-dimensional space, which is a flattening effect that speaks to the commercial function of this image. The artist's emphasis on the visual components, and the combination of the decorative with the pragmatic, leaves this image as an object of interpretation in a complex matrix of art, culture, and marketing.