Mangosteen, from the Fruits series (N12) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands 1891

This chromolithograph of a woman with a mangosteen tree was made for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes in the late 19th century. It was part of a series of collectible cards that were inserted into cigarette packs to increase sales, an early example of advertising targeted at male smokers. The image exoticizes the fruit, associating it with a woman who seems to be from an unspecified ‘oriental’ location. This reflects the commercial interest in representing the foreign in ways that catered to Western tastes and fantasies, as well as the rise of global trade. Consider, though, the cultural messages that are encoded within what appears to be merely a harmless commercial image. To fully understand this work, you could research the history of advertising, the colonial context of the late 19th century, and the collecting habits of the time. This allows us to interpret art through the lens of social and institutional practices.