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Duke’s Cigarette Cards
Coins of All Nations, 1889

Case Study #1: Curation

The curated selection of photographs, prints, and drawings for each nation are chosen from the NYPL Digital Collection by doing a keyword search for the nation featured on the cigarette card. Results are narrowed down to the decades preceding and following 1889, the year Duke’s Cigarette Cards, Coins of All Nations was released.
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  • Do the curated materials share visual characteristics with the cigarette card? How are they different?
  • What is the point of view of the curated materials? What narratives are presented?
  • Does seeing the curated materials offer an alternative impression of the caricature on the cigarette card?
  • How might these images have influenced Americans’ idea of people from this nation?
  • Choose a card and create your own set of curated materials using the NYPL Digital Collections.

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Burmah

Burmah.

Cigarette card, 1889

Coins of All Nations (Duke's Cigarettes)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library. "Burmah." The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1850 - 1959. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47de-34eb-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Home of a Kachin chief, Burmah [Burma].

Home of a Kachin chief, Burmah [Burma]..

Cigarette card, British Empire series (Player's Cigarettes), 1850 - 1959 (Approximate)

George Arents Collection, The New York Public Library. "Home of a Kachin chief, Burmah [Burma]." The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1850 - 1959. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47de-569b-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Mi Lou, a Karen girl, Bassein

Mi Lou, a Karen girl, Bassein.

Print, 1905

The New York Public Library. "Mi Lou, a Karen girl, Bassein" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1905. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e1-1342-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

An American impressario's experience in British Burmah: Burmese gentlemen

An American impressario's experience in British Burmah: Burmese gentlemen.

Print, 1852

The New York Public Library. "An American impressario's experience in British Burmah" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1852. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e1-1336-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Burmese costumes, with road and pagoda, at Mopoon

Burmese costumes, with road and pagoda, at Mopoon.

Print, 1852

The New York Public Library. "Burmese costumes, with road and pagoda, at Mopoon" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1852. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e1-1337-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Frauen aus dem Stamme der Karieng (Bergvölker Birmas)

Frauen aus dem Stamme der Karieng (Bergvölker Birmas).

Print, 1913

The New York Public Library. "Frauen aus dem Stamme der Karieng (Bergvölker Birmas)" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1913. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e1-133e-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99