Captain Jack Rackham, Taking the Spanish Prize, from the Pirates of the Spanish Main series (N19) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes 1886 - 1891

This is "Captain Jack Rackham, Taking the Spanish Prize," a lithograph card from the "Pirates of the Spanish Main" series, created by Allen & Ginter for their cigarette brand. These cards emerged during a period of heightened colonial expansion and fascination with adventure. Here, piracy is romanticized, focusing on European figures like Captain Jack Rackham while erasing the violence and exploitation inflicted upon colonized peoples and territories. Rackham, known as Calico Jack, is now remembered for employing two female pirates, Anne Bonny and Mary Read, presenting a subversive challenge to gender norms in a male-dominated field, though their stories are also steeped in myth and speculation. The card simplifies the complex history of piracy, turning it into a spectacle for consumption. It invites us to consider how such images shape our understanding of historical events and figures, and who is included, excluded, and misrepresented.