Counter-Archives in
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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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Chili

Chili.

Cigarette card, 1889

Coins of All Nations (Duke's Cigarettes)

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

A family of Araucauians (Chili) : Showing a baby strapped in a native cradle

A family of Araucauians (Chili) : Showing a baby strapped in a native cradle.

Photograph, 1908 - 1909

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. "A family of Araucauians (Chili) " The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1908 - 1909. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e1-1c78-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Director gral de la armada de gran parada

Director gral de la armada de gran parada.

Chromolithograph, 1910 (Inferred)

Vinkhuijzen, Hendrik Jacobus, 1843-1910 (Collector)

General Research Division, The New York Public Library. "Director gral de la armada de gran parada" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1910. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47d9-80ac-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Oficial de etiqueta

Oficial de etiqueta.

Chromolithograph, 1910 (Inferred)

Vinkhuijzen, Hendrik Jacobus, 1843-1910 (Collector)

General Research Division, The New York Public Library. "Oficial de etiqueta" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1910. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47d9-80a2-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99