New York, from Flags of the States and Territories (N11) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1888

Curator: Well, hello! Take a peek at this delightful gem—a piece titled "New York, from Flags of the States and Territories," printed in 1888 by Allen & Ginter, the cigarette folks. Seems like everyone was branding back then! Editor: What strikes me immediately is its... cheerful formality. It's quaintly stiff, like a school pageant float rendered in exquisitely delicate colored pencil. I can practically smell the perfumed tobacco it was bundled with! Curator: Spot on! These were, indeed, trade cards, designed to stiffen cigarette packs, protect the tobacco from damage, and serve as miniature billboards. Editor: It’s fascinating how commerce intertwines with identity, isn't it? Look at the romanticized New York City skyline there, almost secondary to the state flag's heraldic symbols—the Lady of Justice, the liberty cap, the sun rising over the mountains... quite the aspirational imagery. Curator: Absolutely. The imagery blends classical allegory with a very specific boosterism of New York's natural and civic assets. You can read these little prints as documents of the prevailing sentiments and social hierarchies of the time, all wrapped up in consumer culture. I always try to imagine who would collect these! Editor: Yes, who clipped and saved them! And where? It reminds you how actively constructed notions of "America" and individual states really are—this flag almost looks like a European royal crest, something designed to command awe, and sell cigarettes. Curator: Perhaps in some ways, that was the point—commerce, state pride, and nationhood all reinforcing each other, like a well-constructed house of cards. Editor: That feels right, these pieces do remind us of the deeply commercial roots of national iconography, as well as, that the New York State flag needs to calm down and not be so extra. Thanks for the insight! Curator: Likewise! It has been lovely as always to reflect.