Caricatured Burmese figure, 1/8 Rupee, from the series Coins of All Nations (N72, variation 2) for Duke brand cigarettes 1889

This lithograph, made by W. Duke, Sons & Co., features a caricatured Burmese figure next to a coin as part of a series for Duke brand cigarettes. The figure wears a traditional headdress, adorned with golden ornaments, reminiscent of ancient regal attire, symbolizing wealth and status. She carries a tray of fruit, suggestive of offering and abundance. The peacock on the coin has roots stretching back to ancient symbolism. The Greeks associated it with Hera, the queen of the gods, and in various Eastern traditions, it represents royalty and immortality. But here, it is stamped on currency. What once symbolized divinity now facilitates commerce. We see a strange flattening; the high culture motifs become tools for selling cigarettes. The collective memory of these symbols, once potent and deeply embedded in cultural and religious contexts, has been co-opted. This imagery, while appearing lighthearted, subtly manipulates our subconscious, linking exoticism with consumer desire. The past is always present, repackaged and reimagined in the theater of commerce.