Admiral, Paraguay, from the Naval Flags series (N17) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1886 - 1891

This is a chromolithograph of the Paraguayan naval flag, made as a collectible card for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes. These cards were printed using multiple lithographic stones, each applying a different color to build up the image, a complex process requiring skilled labor. The image itself—a brightly colored flag against a seascape—belies its origin as a marketing tool, intended to induce the consumer into purchasing cigarettes, a popular late nineteenth century product. Allen and Ginter was based in Richmond, Virginia, a hub of the tobacco industry that relied heavily on both enslaved and later, low-wage labor. The card is small and seemingly insignificant, yet it speaks volumes about the interwoven histories of consumerism, labor, and the visual culture of empire. By placing such images in their cigarette packs, Allen & Ginter commodified not just tobacco, but also a romanticized vision of the world for mass consumption.